Roberto Martinez has named a 27-man Portugal squad for their March World Cup warm-up friendlies, with the headline news being the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, 41, sustained a right hamstring problem while playing for Saudi Pro League leaders Al Nassr on February 28 and has been undergoing treatment in Madrid. He will miss both the game against Mexico at the renovated Azteca Stadium on March 28 and the clash with the United States in Atlanta on March 31.
Martinez quickly moved to calm fears over Ronaldo’s World Cup participation. “No, he’s not in danger,” the coach said when announcing the squad.
“It’s a minor muscle injury, and we think he can be back in a week or two. Everything Cristiano has done physically this season shows that he’s in great shape.”
Guedes return the headline inclusion
With Ronaldo absent, all eyes turn to who will lead Portugal’s attack. Real Sociedad winger Goncalo Guedes returns to the squad for the first time since 2022 in excellent form, having scored nine goals this season.
Martinez added: “Guedes is a versatile player. He’s scored nine goals this season and is in excellent form. He’s a game-changing striker, a player who is of great interest to us.
“I’ve already said that for the World Cup, the centre-forward position belongs to Cristiano and Goncalo Ramos, and we’re looking for a striker with a different profile. And he’s in a form that deserves a call-up. We’re very excited about what he could bring to the national team in these friendlies.”
Premier League presence
Six Premier League-based players feature in the squad, including Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who has been in scintillating form this season with seven goals and 16 assists in 27 league games.
West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes earns his first senior call-up, while Chelsea winger Pedro Neto and Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa are also included.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr team-mate Joao Felix is named after a strong season in Saudi Arabia, and PSG trio Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha, along with Goncalo Ramos, continue to form a core of the squad based in France.
This is Portugal’s final warm-up camp before Martinez must select his World Cup squad for the summer tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Portugal are in Group K alongside Colombia, Uzbekistan and a play-off winner.
Portugal squad in full
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Silva (Sporting CP)
Defenders: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Antonio Silva (SL Benfica), Tomas Araujo (SL Benfica)
Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto)
Forwards: Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting CP), Joao Felix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (PSG)
Where to watch Portugal at the World Cup
Portugal are yet to discover their first group opponent, as they await the result of the play-offs.
They will face Uzbekistan and Colombia in their second and third games.
June 17: Portugal vs TBC (18:00, BBC)
June 23: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (18:00, ITV)
June 28: Colombia vs Portugal (00:30, BBC)
How to watch the World Cup in the UK: TV, online live stream
Fans can stream the action via the BBC Sport and ITV websites, the BBC iPlayer app and the ITVX app, which are available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the go.
When is the World Cup? 2026 dates
The tournament runs from June 11 until July 19 2026.
Who has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
You can find the latest list of countries to have qualified on FIFA’s website.
2026 World Cup groups
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Play-off winner: Denmark/Czechia/Republic of Ireland/North Macedonia
Group B
- Canada
- Play-off winner: Italy/Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Northern Ireland
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- USA
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Play-off winner: Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo
Group E
- Germany
- Curacao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Play-off winner: Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- Play-off winner: Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname
- Norway
Group J
- Argentina
- Algeria
- Austria
- Jordan
Group K
- Portugal
- Play-off winner: DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
When is the opening game of the World Cup?
The opening game will feature Mexico against South Africa on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Canada will take part in their opening game a day later in Toronto, with the United States also contesting their opening match on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
When are the play-offs?
Six places at the World Cup are still to be decided, with four teams from UEFA along with two others from the five other confederations set to take their place at the finals.
The UEFA play-offs and the Inter-confederation begin with semi-final ties on March 26. The play-off finals will follow on March 31, when the line-up will be completed.
