Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is bidding to win the one major trophy that has eluded him during his glittering career when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner captained Portugal at the 2006 World Cup.
But for his hat-trick against Spain during the 2018 group stage on the way to a round-of-16 exit, the all-time leading scorer in international football would not have scored more than once in a tournament in which he has participated on every occasion since 2006.
This intermittent success is likely to strengthen Ronaldo’s determination to shine for the Seleção, whose career 20 years ago was one of two. World Cup Tournaments in which they reached the semi-finals, along with the 1966 tournament.
Here’s the full confirmed and probable schedule for Ronaldo at the 2026 World Cup. You can also find out the fixtures on TV in the UK here.
Ronaldo’s World Cup matches: confirmed schedule and kick-off times
Portugal faces the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia in the group stage. Here’s when these matches will take place and their subsequent dates, plus how to watch them in the UK.
| date | match | a result | platform | Time (GMT) | at | Pt | channel |
| June 17 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | group | 18:00 | 13:00 | 10:00 | BBC | |
| June 23 | Uzbekistan | group | 18:00 | 13:00 | 10:00 | ITV | |
| June 28 | Colombia | group | 00:30 | 19:30 | 16:30 | BBC | |
| 1/2/3 July | To be determined later | Round of 32 | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | |
| 5/6/7 July | To be determined later | Round of 16 | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | |
| July 10/11 | To be determined later | Quarter-finals | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | |
| July 14/15 | To be determined later | Semi-final | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | To be determined later | |
| July 18 | To be determined later | Third place match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | To be determined later | |
| July 19 | To be determined later | last | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BBC, ITV |
Will Ronaldo play in the 2026 World Cup? Injury news updates
Ronaldo missed his country’s first two matches of 2026 due to a hamstring injury, but started both friendlies of the finals as captain, playing for 45 minutes against Chile followed by 65 minutes against Nigeria.
Roberto Martinez, the team’s technical director, said that the icon is still essential for his team, but he may choose to use it selectively, as his predecessor Fernando Santos did in the 2022 finals.
Portugal had fielded Ronaldo in each of its previous 18 finals matches before he came on as a second-half substitute in the round of 16 win over Switzerland and the quarter-final defeat to Morocco in Qatar.
Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer described the 2026 edition as a “new chapter”. He added: “Every time we wear this shirt, we feel the same pride, passion and the same sense of responsibility since day one.”
“We have worked hard to reach this moment, and now it is time to give everything we have for our country, and for all the Portuguese communities that support us here and around the world. Believe it as we do.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup matches: knockout stage, full bracket
If Portugal proves its position as favorites to win its group, it will face the third-placed team from Group D, E, I, J or L in the round of 32.
Ronaldo’s team will meet the runner-up from that division if it comes in second place and the team that wins it if it advances as one of the best performing teams in third place.
Group L includes England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama. You can see the full arc on FIFA website.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s next match in the 2026 World Cup
Ronaldo’s next World Cup appearance is scheduled to be in Portugal’s first match of the tournament against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17 at 18:00 GMT.
World Cup 2026: Will Cristiano Ronaldo lift the trophy?
Portugal, the holders of the UEFA Nations League, are among the favorites to win the World Cup and have a very experienced squad.
Midfielder Metronomic Vitinha was man of the match in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final win over Arsenal, and he was joined by fellow left-back Nuno Mendes, playmaker Joao Neves and striker Goncalo Ramos to become European champions.
Joao Felix has rediscovered some of the form that prompted Atletico Madrid to pay £113m for him in 2019 since joining Ronaldo at Al Nasr, and Portugal’s attackers should not struggle to get supplies from the midfield, although they have historically struggled to break down deep defences.
Manchester United’s creative inspiration, Bruno Fernandes, has been the Premier League’s Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, and one of Manchester City’s toughest challenges next season will be deciding how to replace the genius Bernardo Silva, who has joined Real Madrid.
The enterprising Joao Cancelo, United’s hard-working and versatile full-back Diego Dalot, and City’s centre-half Ruben Dias are among Martinez’s options in defence, ahead of goalkeeper and penalty-killer Diogo Costa.
Argentina – led by Ronaldo’s generational rival, Lionel Messi – Spain, France, England, Brazil and Germany are among the likely favorites that Portugal will have to beat for the title if Ronaldo is to win another title in what is almost certainly an international one.
Portugal 2026 World Cup squad: Full list of Ronaldo’s team-mates
Here is Ronaldo’s squad for his sixth World Cup final, having scored a total of eight goals in the tournament’s history before the start of the finals.
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton), Rui Silva (Sporting), Ricardo Filho (Genschlerberligi).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Gonçalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Vega (Villarreal), Tomas Araujo (Benfica).
Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceiçao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (Milan), Gonzalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain).
