Portugal's Coach Shocks: Ronaldo's Participation in World Cup 2026 Uncertain

Cristiano Ronaldo's injury is causing concern for Portugal ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as coach Roberto Martinez admits he cannot guarantee the superstar will recover in time to participate.

Ronaldo is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained on February 28th. His availability for Portugal's upcoming friendly matches against Mexico and the United States remains uncertain. Coach Martinez stated he will make a decision when announcing the squad list next Friday.

In an interview with the YouTube channel Observador, the Spanish strategist was asked whether the medical team could guarantee Ronaldo's recovery for the World Cup. He candidly replied: "No one can provide that guarantee. If they could, I would have called him up immediately."

When reminded of his earlier assessment that Ronaldo's injury was not serious, Martinez maintained a cautious stance: "Cristiano currently has a minor injury, but he still has many club matches ahead. Football is a contact sport, and I cannot guarantee players won't sustain further injuries."

Not only the March friendlies, where Ronaldo's potential participation is highly questionable, the forward still has up to nine more matches with Al Nassr from now until the end of the 2025-26 season, including the Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League. This number may vary depending on how the club manages his workload, but as the World Cup approaches, Ronaldo's physical condition will be closely monitored daily.

Portugal Wants to Avoid a Repeat of the 2014 Scenario

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Portugal had a disappointing campaign, eliminated in the group stage, while Germany and the United States advanced. At that time, Ronaldo's contribution was severely hampered by a left knee patellar tendonitis injury, a consequence of him playing through pain in the Champions League final that season.

CR7 only scored one goal in the tournament, against Ghana, and this experience greatly influenced how the Portuguese national team assesses his physical condition before major tournaments.

The similarities between the current hamstring injury and the risk of recurrence have raised concerns that history might repeat itself. When asked if a similar scenario could occur at the 2026 World Cup, Coach Martinez expressed confidence in handling the situation.

He said: "My responsibility is to create the best environment for the team, so all players in the dressing room feel comfortable contributing to Portugal at the World Cup. I have extensive experience in this matter."

Coach Martinez also mentioned the case of Belgium captain Vincent Kompany, who suffered a groin injury in a friendly against Portugal in June 2018, just weeks before the World Cup in Russia. Kompany was still called up and, after missing the first two group matches, played 16 minutes in the final match against England, before playing fully in the remaining matches up to the third-place playoff.