With less than 23 days until the start of the 2026 World Cup, Portugal has already defined its "almost" final roster of players to face the tournament. This Tuesday, coach Roberto Martínez presented a preliminary list of 27 players, although he will still have to make a final cut before submitting the definitive roster required by FIFA.
The star of the squad once again is Cristiano Ronaldo, who at 41 years old will play in his sixth World Cup after having participated in the editions of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. The Al Nassr forward will thus hold the historic record for World Cup appearances, which will also be held by Lionel Messi and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, and he will also seek to become the first player to score goals in six different World Cups.
The Portuguese national team will have a core of established figures in the European elite. The call-up features prominent names such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, João Félix, Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos, and João Neves, among others.
On the other hand, the main peculiarity of the list is that Martínez decided to include four goalkeepers, even though only three can be part of the final squad. The players called up for that position are Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui Silva, and Ricardo Velho, with Velho being the main candidate to be left out in the final cut. The coach himself explained the reason for this decision during the press conference. "There are 27 players on the list, and that's why we have the group we have. I spoke with Ricardo Velho, and he knows he is the fourth goalkeeper", Martínez stated.
Additionally, there were significant absences that generated repercussions in Portugal, including António Silva, João Palhinha, Ricardo Horta, and Paulinho. However, the coach defended his choices: "The chosen players are the selected players after a responsible, honest, and professional process". He also emphasized the difficulty of balancing a squad with so many offensive variations.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, Portugal will play two preparation friendlies: one against Chile on June 6 and another against Nigeria on June 10. Already in the World Cup, the Portuguese team will be in Group K alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia. The debut will be on June 17 against the African team in Houston, then they will face the Uzbek team on the 23rd in the same city and will close the group stage against the Colombians on the 27th in Miami.
The 27 players called up from Portugal for the 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers:
Diogo Costa (Porto)
José Sá (Wolverhampton)
Rui Silva (Sporting Lisbon)
*Ricardo Velho (Gençlerbirligi)
Defenders:
Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe)
João Cancelo (Barcelona)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting Lisbon)
Renato Veiga (Villarreal)
