Roberto Martínez named Cristiano Ronaldo in a deep 26 for a record sixth World Cup, built on a Paris Saint-Germain core and seven Premier League players. Portugal arrive as reigning Nations League champions and open Group K against DR Congo in Houston on 17 June, with Uzbekistan and Colombia to follow.
Martínez has options most coaches only dream of: Vitinha, João Neves and Bruno Fernandes in midfield, Rafael Leão and Pedro Neto wide, and the captain still chasing the one prize his career lacks. The squad also carried a tribute to the late Diogo Jota, a quiet weight the group will play with all summer.
Group K is kind on paper — DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia — and Portugal warmed up by edging Chile through Bruno Fernandes. The question is not qualification; it is whether Martínez can finally turn the deepest squad in the tournament into the cutting edge that has eluded this golden generation.
Portugal have the most talent of any team never to win it. In 2026 the excuses run out.
The shared goodbye with Messi is the broadcasters' story; Ronaldo's personal one — the last shot at the missing trophy — is ours. Whether he is a fantasy pick or a fade at 41 is a separate Captain's Call.
Sources: FIFA · Al Jazeera — squad · Al Jazeera — preview.