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February 19, 2026
Ronaldo is heading toward yet another World Cup with history quietly within reach. If Portugal make a deep run, the 40-year-old icon could rewrite tournament records and become the oldest winner ever, a scenario that sounds improbable, yet somehow still feels possible.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a brand that has transcended the sport of football, which is quite the feat, given that we are talking about the world’s most popular sport, which appeals to roughly half of the world’s population. He became the first athlete in the world to reach 1 billion followers across all social media platforms. The Portuguese, who is widely considered the greatest footballer Portugal has ever produced, and one of the finest goalscorers of all time. This summer, when the footballing world descends on North America for football’s greatest festival, could Cristiano break yet another record and become the oldest winner of the World Cup? Let’s take a look.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Ready to the World Cup
Six, that’s right, this will be the sixth World Cup that has featured CR7. He is the first player to feature in the coveted tournament six times, aside from his legendary rival, Lionel Messi, who is also aiming to compete at a record-breaking sixth tournament.
As with so many records that this pair have broken over the last 25 years, we’re unlikely to see any players get to this level for a very long time. Their longevity, consistency, and the levels they’ve played at since the early 21st century have been far beyond those of any of their peers. As the curtain draws on both of their careers, this could be the defining moment that cements the debate once and for all.
Currently, the sportsbooks have Spain, England, and France as the three favorites to win the trophy. Despite England not lifting the trophy for 60 years and consistently failing to deliver when it matters, the bookies seem set on the idea that they will eventually break this curse. Having lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, they’re both likely to reach the latter stages of the World Cup this year, but could Argentina or Portugal pip them, and either decide the debate once and for all, or tie it even in the annals of footballing history.
Argentina spoiled the party in 2022 when they lifted the World Cup. But the bookies have both Argentina and Portugal at pretty distant odds in the months leading up to the tournament. Ideally, Cristiano avoids injury, as this would give Portugal the best chance of winning the World Cup.
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It’s hard to look past Spain or France this year. Some of the hosting nations have a good shot at overperforming, as is often the case when they have vociferous home support. England, despite reaching the latter stages of their last few major tournaments, lacks the talismanic presence of Cristiano.
During Euro 2016, Cristiano almost commanded the team to the major trophy win, even while being on the sidelines. England does not have this presence or personality, whereas Spain has a collective, winning mentality, and France has the current Ballon d’Or holder, as well as goal machine Kylian Mbappe - considered by many to be the best striker on the planet. It would be a monumental surprise to see Portugal win it, but that’s not to say CR7 can’t go out with a bang and get his hands on the Golden Boot, potentially.
At 41, Ronaldo becomes one of the oldest players to appear in the World Cup. Although, surprisingly, he is not the oldest, not by a long way. While he would eclipse Dino Zoff as the oldest winner, if he were to achieve the remarkable feat, the oldest player to appear at the tournament was Essam El Hadary, who became the oldest player to ever feature in the World Cup in 2018, at the age of 45.
Does Cristiano have the 2030 World Cup in his sights? Well, you wouldn’t put it past him. He is still averaging a goal a game at the domestic level, and hasn’t got any plans to retire just yet. Even then, though, he would likely fall just short of the oldest player to ever appear, even if he did feature in the 2030 competition.
If Cristiano was unable to power Portugal to the top prize in his pomp, now that he has hit 40, it’s diminishing returns. It’s not outside the realm of possibility. Portugal still has some fantastic talent in its team aside from its iconic talisman, but Spain, France, and even England, for all their faults, have a much better chance of lifting this year’s World Cup.
Even appearing at the World Cup in your 40’s is a remarkable achievement, regardless of how far Portugal goes in the competition. Can Cristiano do it? Of course, he has the ability to, but for Portugal, collectively, in light of the strength of the rest of the nations in this year’s WC, we’d say it’s too much of a tall order.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr is on February 21, against Al Hazm, for the Saudi Pro League. You can watch Al Nassr vs Al Hazm, Osasuna vs Real Madrid, Barça vs Levante, Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest, Celtic vs Stuttgart and Zrinjski vs Crystal Palace, all matches provided from our streaming live game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Al Nassr vs Al Hazm kick-off time (21-02-2026):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 01:30
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 23:00
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 20:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 18:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 17:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 14:30
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 13:30
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 10:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / forbes.com / cnn.com
