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The Portuguese football federation revealed the squad for the September and October fixtures that will see the defending champions open their campaign at home to Wales. Jorge Jesus, appointed after Roberto Martinez departed in the wake of a round-of-16 loss to Spain at the 2026 World Cup, included the Al-Nassr forward alongside established names such as Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias. The 72-year-old coach previously worked with Ronaldo at club level, where the pair secured the Saudi Pro League title last season, a point highlighted across reporting from ESPN and The Athletic. Jesus has made only five changes from the World Cup squad according to details carried by Al Jazeera and AS USA.
Jesus made clear that selection would be based strictly on current form rather than past achievements when he addressed the media after naming the group. “Cris is a player like any other. If he performs, he plays; if not, he doesn’t. He has a different status – he has five Ballon d’Or awards – but does that factor into my decisions? No. However, the fact that he is different is.” The quote was reproduced in full by beIN SPORTS and India Today.
Ronaldo has registered 146 goals in 233 appearances for Portugal, figures confirmed by BBC Sport, and remains the men’s international record holder. The 41-year-old had indicated after the World Cup that the tournament would mark his final appearance at that level while later telling Vogue the 2026-27 campaign would probably be his last in football overall. Nevertheless he has been retained for these matches, with sources such as AS USA noting he continues to chase a career total of 1,000 goals and is nearing 250 caps. He will turn 42 before the Nations League finals and would be 43 by Euro 2028.
The squad published by the federation includes goalkeepers Diogo Costa, Rui Silva and Samuel Soares together with defenders Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes, Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Inacio and Diogo Dalot. Midfielders selected are Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Joao Neves and Joao Palhinha while forwards feature Rafael Leao, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Pedro Neto, Francisco Conceicao, Francisco Trincao and Fabio Silva along with Ronaldo. The list matches compilations carried by The Athletic and Al Jazeera with Nuno Tavares and Tomas Araujo also included.
Portugal will host Wales on September 24 before travelling to Norway on September 27, then face Denmark away on October 1 and return home to play Norway on October 4. Only the group winner advances to the finals next summer, placing immediate importance on results in League A. Jesus will make his competitive debut in the home fixture against Wales, a schedule reported uniformly across the coverage.
Ronaldo has scored three goals in seven appearances for Al Nassr this season despite the team’s recent 4-0 defeat to Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite, according to statistics published by BeSoccer. The forward played the full 90 minutes in that loss and has maintained strong domestic form with multiple goal involvements in the Saudi Pro League. His continued presence underscores his enduring influence as the national side transitions under Jesus, whose appointment was covered extensively by ESPN.
