Cristiano Ronaldo as achieved another incredible milestone as Portugal pulled ahead of Hungary in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers on Monday. The Portuguese legend scored a penalty to take his tally in World Cup qualifying matches to 39 goals, matching Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz for the record. With Lionel Messi two goals behind at 36, Ronaldo has opened up a three-goal lead over his arch-rival.
The strike also added Ronaldo’s staggering international tally to 141 goals from 223 appearances for Portugal. Throughout his career, the 39-year-old has now scored 943 goals, drawing ever closer to the fantasy milestone of 1000 career goals – an achievement that would seal his status as a football legend.
On the evening, Joao Cancelo was the match-winner, netting late to complete a thrilling 3-2 win in Budapest and take Portugal to the group’s summit.
Roberto Martinez’s side, fresh from a 5-0 thrashing of Armenia, were in high spirits at the start but were left aghast when Hungary’s Barnabas Varga gave them an early lead with a header off Zsolt Nagy’s cross. Portugal fought back, and Ronaldo was thwarted by a spectacular save by Balazs Toth before Bernardo Silva equalized with a hammer blow finish in the 36th minute.
Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead, slotting a penalty into the bottom corner after his shot had hit Loic Nego’s hand. By doing so, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner not only leveled Ruiz’s record but also cemented his case to be the first player to play in six World Cup finals.
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Hungary would not go quietly, however, as Varga levelled for the fifth time in the night with his second goal in the 84th minute. But Portugal hit back with almost immediate vengeance as Cancelo took advantage of a turnover and hammered in the winning goal two minutes later.
The win places Portugal at top of Group F with six points, ahead of Armenia, and Hungary winless against Portugal in 15 tries, their World Cup qualification hopes in the balance.
