Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury, was left out of Portugal’s squad on Friday to play World Cup friendlies against tournament co-hosts Mexico and the United States later this month.
The 41-year-old has not played for his Saudi club Al-Nassr since the end of February, but Portuguese coach Roberto Martinez insisted Ronaldo’s participation in what would be a record sixth World Cup was «not in jeopardy».
«It’s a minor injury,» Martinez said at a news conference, adding that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could be back «within one or two weeks.»
“Everything that Cristiano has done physically this season shows that he is going through an excellent period and that there are no physical problems.
«At the World Cup, the center forward position will be for Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos. We are looking for a third striker with a different profile.»
Portugal will play Mexico City in Mexico City on Saturday, March 28, and the United States three days later in Atlanta.
«This is the last chance to experiment, because this is the last training camp before the World Cup squad is announced,» said Martinez.
At the World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, Portugal has been placed in Group K along with Colombia and Uzbekistan.
The other team in this group comes from a play-off in which New Caledonia, Jamaica or the Democratic Republic of Congo could qualify.
Selection:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers/ENG), Rui Silva (Sporting)
Defenders: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City/ENG), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona/ESP), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Veiga (Villarreal/ESP), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Tomas Araujo (Benfica)
Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA), Samu Costa (Mallorca/ESP), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham/ESP), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Rodrigo Mora (Porto)
Wingbacks: Ricardo Horta (Braga), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting), Joao Felix (Al Nassr/KSA), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus/ITA), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Pedro Neto (Chelsea/ENG), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad/ESP), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)
Published on March 20, 2026
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