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April 7, 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be monumental for many reasons. The upcoming showpiece is the biggest edition of the tournament ever, with a whopping 48 teams. It's also the first time that three nations have co-hosted the tournament, with each of the United States, Mexico, and Canada all hosting games...
The biggest reason no football fan will dare to miss a game in this summer's tournament is because the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo will venture for the last time in his career onto a storied World Cup stage. Naturally, the legendary Al-Nassr man will break a record when he does feature at the tournament, becoming the first man to feature at six separate World Cups — a record he will share with old foe Lionel Messi — and at the age of 41, it will surely be his last. But will CR7 leave centre stage by leading his beloved Portugal to a maiden World Cup triumph? Online betting sites certainly think it's possible. The latest Lucky Rebel World Cup odds currently position the Seleção das Quinas as a 10/1 fifth-favourite to claim the crown this summer. They're certainly in contention, but they still are some way behind 9/2 frontrunners Spain and 11/2 second-favourites France. So, if they are to finally land the biggest prize in the game for the first time, what would their potential path to glory look like? Let's take a look.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal WC 2026
Portugal haven't always been blessed with easy groups at a World Cup. In 2018, they were drawn with neighbours Spain. In 2010, they had to find a way past both Brazil and a Didier Drogba-powered Ivory Coast. Sandwiched in between those two tournaments, Ronaldo and Co. were surprisingly dumped out in the group stage after finishing behind eventual champions Germany and the USA. This year, however, their group stage opponents do look somewhat friendly.
Roberto Martinez's side will begin their campaign on June 17th when they face a returning DR Congo in Houston. The African outfit had to run the gauntlet just to make it this far, firstly beating both Cameroon and Nigeria in the CAF playoffs before then having to beat Jamaica in another playoff in Guadalajara. They were up to the task, though, beating each of them, and now they gear up for a first-ever World Cup under the DR Congo flag after last appearing back in 1974 as Zaire.
Six days later, Portugal will then face tournament debutants Uzbekistan, also in Houston. The White Wolves are managed by 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, and the legendary Italian managed to steer the Uzbeks to a runner-up spot behind Iran in the AFC qualifying Group A to punch their tickets to the tournament for the first time.
Finally, the Seleção das Quinas will end their group stage endeavours with a clash against Colombia in Miami on June 28th. Los Cafeteros represent Portugal's biggest test in the initial round, but both Ronaldo and manager Martinez will be hoping that their spot in the knockout round is already secured with wins against DR Congo and Uzbekistan. Should they falter through those first two games, however, then they will be under immense pressure for this clash against the 2024 Copa America runners-up.
Portugal are widely expected to top Group K, and it would be a huge shock if they didn't. Should they do that as expected, then it becomes difficult to predict their round of 32 clash, with any one of the best-ranked third-place teams from groups D, E, I, J, L all possible opponents. Their round of 16 clash is easier to predict, though, and it will likely be a rematch of their 2022 clash at the same stage.
Martinez's men will face off against the winner of Group B in the round of 16. That was expected to be Italy; however, after the Azzurri's shocking defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs—ensuring that the four-time champions missed a third straight trip to the World Cup — the new most likely group winner is Switzerland. Portugal met the Nati at the same stage four years ago, with the Seleção picking up a resounding 6-1 victory courtesy of a stunning Gonçalo Ramos hat trick.
Switzerland has improved since. They reached the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 and were unlucky not to make it to the semifinals after losing on penalties to England despite arguably being the better team. Now, they will be on the hunt for revenge after their embarrassing loss in Qatar.
Should Portugal emerge from that clash unscathed, then they will be on a collision course to a mouthwatering quarterfinal against reigning champions Argentina. Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have ruled over the beautiful game with an iron fist for the better part of two decades. Despite their plethora of matchups at the club level, the two icons have never met on the storied World Cup stage. That could all change on July 11th in Kansas City, with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
If CR7 can finally vanquish his greatest rival and embark upon a first semifinal since 2006, then the likely opponents will be England, providing Ronaldo with the perfect opportunity to silence the notoriously fickle English media that found its voice after his acrimonious departure from Manchester United four years ago. Come through that, and neighbours Spain will likely await in the final.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr is on April 11, against Al Akhdoud, for the Saudi Super League. You can watch Al Akhdoud vs Al Nassr, Crystal Palace vs Fiorentina, Barça vs Atletico Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain vs Liverpool, Porto vs Nottingham Forest and Braga vs Betis, all matches provided from our live soccer game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Al Akhdoud vs Al Nassr kick-off time (11-04-2026):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 23:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+4: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / theguardian.com / allfootballapp.com
