Portugal coach Roberto Martínez will announce his first squad of the year on Friday — and the last before the 2026 World Cup — with Cristiano Ronaldo almost certain to be absent and some surprises expected.
Having not played since November 2025, when Portugal sealed their World Cup qualification, the national team play in Mexico on March 28 and then in the United States on March 31, in two friendly matches that will serve essentially as a pre-camp ahead of the tournament, which takes place in summer across those two countries and Canada.
Martínez will announce the squad at a press conference at 12:30 at the Cidade de Futebol in Oeiras. Ronaldo’s absence is almost certain — the Al Nassr captain has been injured since February 28 and is unlikely to be fit for the two friendlies.
The world record holder for international appearances (226) and goals (143) has not missed a Portugal squad since 2018, when he was released by then-coach Fernando Santos in the first group stage of the inaugural Nations League to settle at his new club Juventus.
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Ronaldo, now 41, is expected to return to the Portugal shirt in June — seven months after his last appearance in November 2025 in Dublin, where he was sent off (an unprecedented moment for the national team) in a 2-0 defeat to Ireland. Nelson Semedo, a regular and also injured at his club Fenerbahçe, is another near-certain absence.
The squad is expected to bring new faces or returnees, particularly in attack. In a January interview with Lusa, Martínez acknowledged the need to take a third striker to the World Cup and said March’s camp was the moment to resolve that.
Roberto Martínez will announce the squad at a press conference at 12:30 at the Cidade de Futebol in Oeiras. Ronaldo’s absence is almost certain
(Filipe Amorim / Global Imagens)
Fábio Silva, André Silva, Ricardo Horta, Chermiti, Pablo Felipe and Paulinho — who plays in Mexico — are all potential candidates. The 33-year-old Paulinho, capped three times in 2020 before falling out of favour, could earn a recall after a second career chapter in Mexican football.
As Martínez explained to Lusa, the decision to play in the Americas in March is partly a pre-adaptation to the atmospheric conditions Portugal will face at the World Cup, particularly altitude and humidity.
The Portuguese delegation is expected to travel well ahead of the Mexico match — which will mark the reopening of the Estadio Azteca — though the Portuguese Football Federation has been monitoring the security situation in the country closely in recent weeks.
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At the 2026 World Cup, Portugal are in Group K alongside Uzbekistan, Colombia and a yet-to-be-determined opponent from the intercontinental play-off between the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jamaica and New Caledonia.
