Ronaldo: 'This will be my last World Cup'
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed this will be his last World Cup, ahead of Portugal's round-of-16 clash with Spain at Arlington, Texas on Monday, saying he will 'leave with a clear conscience' regardless of the result.
- Ronaldo has appeared in six World Cup editions — 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 — and became the first player to score in six World Cups after netting against Uzbekistan in the group stage.
- Ronaldo has scored three goals at this tournament, with two against Uzbekistan and a penalty against Croatia in the round of 32 — his first career goal in a World Cup knockout match.
- Ronaldo said he doesn't need to win this World Cup to validate his career, having already won the 2016 European Championship with Portugal, and added: 'Age gives you maturity and experience.'
- Ronaldo praised Spain's 18-year-old Lamine Yamal as 'a player with a big future' while stressing he evaluates Spain as a whole team, not any one player.
- The 2030 World Cup is set to be co-hosted by Portugal alongside Spain and Morocco, meaning Ronaldo's international farewell comes against a nation that will help host his successor's tournament.
- Other BBC Sport and Sky Sports headlines on the wire focus on Australia winning the Women's T20 World Cup over England — cross-coverage is not chasing the Ronaldo angle at all.
Why it matters: Ronaldo's exit closes the longest men's World Cup playing career on record — six editions, no peer — and it lands on a symbolic matchup, since Portugal faces Spain (a co-host of the next World Cup he won't play in) in the knockout round. Spain's 18-year-old Yamal, flagged by Ronaldo as the next big thing, represents the generational torch being passed in real time.
