{"id":1403630,"date":"2025-10-10T10:24:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T09:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1403630"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:18:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:18:25","slug":"will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at the 2026 World Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The countdown to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/2026-world-cup-betting-tips-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 World Cup<\/a> is well underway as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to put on a show next summer with an expanded field of 48 countries jetting over to North America.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the many storylines bubbling away ahead of the tournament, one of the biggest questions is whether Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 41 in February, will compete in what would be a record-breaking sixth World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We take a closer look at Ronaldo&#8217;s international record, current form, Portugal\u2019s qualifying campaign, and the factors that could determine whether the iconic superstar will play at the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Quick Links<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-ronaldo-s-international-record\" data-level=\"2\">Ronaldo\u2019s International Record<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ronaldo-s-world-cup-record\" data-level=\"2\">Ronaldo\u2019s World Cup Record<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-will-portugal-be-at-the-2026-world-cup\" data-level=\"2\">Will Portugal be at the 2026 World Cup?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ronaldo-s-form-in-2025\" data-level=\"2\">Ronaldo\u2019s form in 2025<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-will-ronaldo-be-going-to-the-world-cup\" data-level=\"2\">Will Ronaldo be going to the World Cup?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ronaldo-s-international-record\">Ronaldo\u2019s International Record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronaldo is both the all-time leading goalscorer and leading appearance-maker in men\u2019s international football, having accumulated 143 goals &#8211; and counting &#8211; in 226 matches since making his Portugal debut back in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the subsequent 20+ years Ronaldo has tormented defences on a global scale, smashing in 10 international hat-tricks, slotting home 22 penalties and 11 free-kicks &#8211; including THAT free-kick against Spain &#8211; along with 28 headers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An emotional Ronaldo famously got his hands on the European Championship trophy back in 2016 and has since added two Nations League trophies in 2019 and most recently in 2025, during which he scored in the final and semi-final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronaldo, who has captained his country since 2008, also has a multitude of individual honours and records at the international level, including being the all-time European Championship top goalscorer with 14 goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1440379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-267x267.jpg 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/25133224\/team_top-10-odds-1.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ronaldo-s-world-cup-record\">Ronaldo\u2019s World Cup Record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronaldo has a trophy cabinet jam-packed with silverware and individual accolades, but the one big trophy that has eluded him is the FIFA World Cup, which was famously lifted by long-time rival Lionel Messi in the most recent edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The five-time Ballon d&#8217;Or winner has played in every World Cup since 2006 and is the only player to score at five different World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022). He has eight World Cup goals in 22 matches &#8211; all scored in the group stages &#8211; which puts him joint-26th on the all-time list with half the tally of leader Miroslav Klose (16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Portugal\u2019s best finish in the Ronaldo era came in his first World Cup back in 2006 when they reached the semi-finals and placed 4th. Since then, Portugal have only made it as far as the quarter-finals once in the following four tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That quarter-final run came last time out in 2022 when Portugal suffered a surprise defeat to Morocco. It was a difficult tournament for Ronaldo personally, who was dropped to the bench for both of Portugal\u2019s knockout games and struggled to make an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ronaldo&#8217;s World Cup Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">World Cup<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Matches Played<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Goals<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Stage of Elimination<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2006<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">6<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Semi-Finals<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2010<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Last-16<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2014<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Group Stage<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2018<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Last-16<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2022<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Quarter-Finals<br><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-will-portugal-be-at-the-2026-world-cup\">Will Portugal be at the 2026 World Cup?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Portugal were placed in a favourable qualifying group alongside Armenia, Hungary, and the Republic of Ireland and booked their place with relative ease, winning the group with a three point buffer over Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They crushed Armenia 5-0 in Yerevan and edged Hungary 3-2 in Budapest, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice against Armenia and converting a penalty against Hungary. He scored a further two goals in qualifying taking his total to 41 goals in World Cup qualifiers &#8211; another record broken by the Portuguese maestro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Portugal will appear at the 2026 World Cup and have been placed in Group K alongside Colombia and Uzbekistan. The group will be rounded out by the winner of the IC Path 1, one of New Caledonia, Jamaica or DR Congo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ronaldo-s-form-in-2025\">Ronaldo\u2019s form in 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronaldo fired blanks at Euro 2024 but has since bounced back in fine fashion. The 40-year-old has been in red-hot form for Portugal in 2025, scoring six goals in six games, including three goals in World Cup qualifying so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At club level, he claimed the 2024-25 Golden Boot with Saudi giants Al-Nassr, where he signed a staggering $400 million contract extension in June. By October, reports confirmed he became the first footballer to reach billionaire status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronaldo managed 33 goals and 4 assists in 37 appearances for Al-Nassr in 2025, ending up with a goal contribution every 96 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-will-ronaldo-be-going-to-the-world-cup\">Will Ronaldo be going to the World Cup?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, the big question, will Ronaldo be going to the World Cup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this stage, it looks extremely likely. Portugal have qualified for the tournament and it&#8217;s hard to see Ronaldo not being in the final squad. He wasn&#8217;t named in Roberto Mart\u00ednez&#8217;s squad for the March friendlies against Mexico and the USA but that was due to suspension rather than not being fancied by his head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a challenging tournament in Qatar and a tough Euro campaign, Ronaldo has made a strong comeback at the international level. The 40-year-old captain has been in sensational form throughout 2025, steadily closing in on that magic 1,000-goal milestone &#8211; he\u2019s currently sitting at 965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about retirement in a recent<em> Canal 11 <\/em>interview, Ronaldo said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I still have a passion for this. My family tells me it\u2019s time to quit and asks why I want to score 1,000 goals when I\u2019ve already scored over 900. But I don\u2019t think that way. I\u2019m still producing good things, helping my club and the national team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Why not continue? When I finish, I\u2019ll leave knowing I gave everything. I know I don\u2019t have many years left, but I want to enjoy the ones I have left to the fullest.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With unmatched hunger and the dream of finally lifting the World Cup, a fairytale ending to his international career could be on the horizon next summer &#8211; though who\u2019s to say he\u2019ll hang up the Portugal jersey even then.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" 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<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__excerpt\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/harry-edwards\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Harry Edwards                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">2 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-martin-baturina-como-serie-a\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/19174438\/3ECXXR8-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Como midfielder Martin Baturina\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-martin-baturina-como-serie-a\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    Martin Baturina analysis: Why Como\u2019s Croatian star is attracting interest from Europe\u2019s elite                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__excerpt\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/benmcaleer\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Ben McAleer                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">2 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-stars-summer-transfers\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/20103201\/feature_image-x-2-purple-1-2-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"12 World Cup stars who could be on the move this summer\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-stars-summer-transfers\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    12 World Cup stars who could be on the move this summer                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__excerpt\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/chris-smith\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Chris Jones                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">3 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-player-stats-leaders-2026\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/20144356\/world-cup-stats-leaders-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"World Cup stat leaders: Who led the key metrics?\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/world-cup-player-stats-leaders-2026\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    World Cup 2026 player stat leaders: Who led the key metrics?                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__excerpt\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/harry-edwards\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Harry Edwards                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">3 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/squawka-writers-world-cup-team-of-the-tournament\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/07\/18155716\/writers-pick-team-of-tournament-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"We asked Squawka writers to name their World Cup 2026 Team of the Tournaments\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/squawka-writers-world-cup-team-of-the-tournament\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    We asked Squawka writers to name their World Cup 2026 Team of the Tournaments                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__excerpt\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/harry-edwards\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Harry Edwards                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">3 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is well underway as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to put on a show next summer with an expanded field of 48 countries jetting over to North America. Among the many storylines bubbling away ahead of the tournament, one of the biggest questions is whether Cristiano&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3563,"featured_media":1403657,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on, but will Cristiano Ronaldo feature for Portugal next summer?","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"news-category":[27626],"class_list":["post-1403630","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-world-cup"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at the 2026 World Cup? | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on, but will Cristiano Ronaldo feature for Portugal next summer?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at the 2026 World Cup?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on, but will Cristiano Ronaldo feature for Portugal next summer?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T11:18:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/10095954\/cristiano-ronaldo-alamy-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jack Kitson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b9a619702ce222524c41c11b51acc806\"},\"headline\":\"Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at the 2026 World Cup?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-10T09:24:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-02T11:18:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":968,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/10095954\\\/cristiano-ronaldo-alamy-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/news\\\/world-cup\\\/will-cristiano-ronaldo-play-at-the-2026-world-cup\\\/\",\"name\":\"Will Cristiano Ronaldo play at the 2026 World Cup? 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