Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026 will be his last. The tournament is set to be held across the USA, Mexico and Canada and this will mark an end of his golden era in football. Currently, Portugal leads the Group F in the European qualifiers and can secure a spot in the tournament with just a win over Republic of Ireland on November 13.
This will be Ronaldo’s sixth appearance in the World Cup and if he wins a trophy then his collection of accolades will also be complete. The star footballer has over 950 goals across club and international football. The forward is now clear that he is in the final competitive years of his career and indicated his plans to retire from the sport.
“Definitely, yes,” he told a Saudi forum by video link CR7 clearly mentioning that he would retire in “one of two years” from the professional sport.
“I’m gonna be 41 years old and I think it will be the moment,” he added.
“Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years, I’ll still be at the game,” he said.
Ronaldo came closest to the World Cup trophy in 2006 when Portugal reached the semifinals but all the hopes were shattered when France won. Even though Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup, Ronaldo has made it clear that he will no longer be playing professionally by then.
