Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez stated that he doesn’t even know when Cristiano Ronaldo will retire from international soccer with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. Cristiano Ronaldo recently turned 41, and while the soccer world’s attention is firmly fixed on the 2026 World Cup, the future of one of the sport’s greatest legends remains an open question. With fewer than three months to go before the tournament in North America, head coach Roberto Martinez has acknowledged that Ronaldo’s future with the Portugal national team is still uncertain, even beyond the World Cup.
As far back as late 2025, Ronaldo had acknowledged that the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico would be his last World Cup. “Definitely, yes, because I will be 41 years old,” the striker told CNN anchor Becky Anderson in November, while also indicating that his overall retirement timeline extends “probably one, two years” beyond that.
Even so, that does not necessarily mean the World Cup will mark Ronaldo’s final appearance in a Portugal shirt. Asked on Monday by Ben Jacobs about when the star might call it quits internationally, Martinez admitted he has stopped trying to predict it: “It is difficult for me to say. I have learned very quickly not to predict the future with Cristiano. He has got this elite brain about being the best he can be today. If you ask him, he’ll tell you the same. He doesn’t make plans.“
At the same press conference ahead of the clash against the United States, Martinez also spoke to Ronaldo’s continued importance in the squad. “Cristiano is our captain. He has been very influential and important. We won the Nations League with him. His role is important in our team, making the last movements in the box, his goalscoring threat and the way he can finish off moves,” he added.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Martinez, Manager of Portugal.
“His mindset is quite inspiring. He just lives every day as if it was his last one, and he wants to improve. You don’t know when is going to be the end,” Martinez concluded, speaking just days after revealing that much of the current squad views Ronaldo as a role model.
Although Ronaldo is sitting out the March friendlies with a hamstring injury, Martinez has already made his intentions clear, stating that “for the World Cup, the center-forward position belongs to Cristiano and Goncalo Ramos.” With one additional striker spot still to be filled, it is clear that the former Real Madrid man will be first choice up front when fit.
Could Ronaldo make it to the 26-27 Nations League?
While Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be his last, he has not said it will be his final appearance in a Portugal shirt. In fact, the “one or two years” of playing career he has suggested he has left could align comfortably with a run at the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League, where Portugal would enter as defending champions.
Last February, UEFA conducted the draw for the fifth edition of the Nations League and released the full fixture schedule. Portugal, placed in League A Group 4, will face Denmark, Norway and Wales, with the group stage to be played across the September, October and November international windows.
With the quarterfinals scheduled for March 2027 and the Nations League Finals set for June 9-13, 2027, the timeline lines up with the final weeks of Ronaldo’s current Al Nassr contract, which runs through June 30. Should Portugal go all the way, Ronaldo could cap his international career by helping the Selecao become the first nation to win back-to-back Nations League titles.