Key Highlights
- Football Icons Set World Cup Farewells Cristiano Ronaldo has emphatically confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled for June and July across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will mark his final international tournament.
- Speaking at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh in November, the 40-year-old Portuguese striker indicated he would retire from professional football "in one or two years".
- The tournament represents Ronaldo's sixth World Cup appearance, and he remains the only major trophy absent from his collection.
- Lionel Messi's future carries similar weight, though the Argentine remains more circumspect.
- The 38-year-old has refused to definitively commit to the 2026 World Cup but hasn't ruled it out either.