Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to play in the 15th qualification phase of his 23-year international career as Portugal begin their 2026/27 Nations League campaign.
The 41-year-old forward has been named in the squad by new manager Jorge Jesus, who will make his debut in charge on Thursday against Wales. The Group A4 match will take place at the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon.
Portugal will be defending the Nations League title they won in 2025. During this initial international window, the team will also face Norway twice, in Oslo on September 27 and at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto on October 4, with a match against Denmark in Copenhagen scheduled for October 1.
An unmatched international record
Since making his senior international debut on August 23, 2003, under Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ronaldo has only missed one qualification campaign: the inaugural Nations League in 2018/19.
He was absent for Portugal's four group stage matches that year under Fernando Santos, but returned for the final tournament held on home soil. Ronaldo scored a hat trick in the semi-final against Switzerland and started the final against the Netherlands, which Portugal won following a goal from Gonçalo Guedes.
Ronaldo also did not play in a qualifying phase for Euro 2004, his first major tournament, because Portugal qualified automatically as the host nation. He has been present for every other campaign.
Six managers in 23 years
Jesus will be the sixth national team manager to work with the forward. Following Scolari, Ronaldo was managed by Carlos Queiroz, Paulo Bento, Santos, and Roberto Martínez.
The men's international football world record holder for both appearances, with 233 caps, and goals, with 146, Ronaldo has featured in six World Cup qualifying campaigns, five for the European Championship, and three for the Nations League. He has also played in six World Cup final tournaments and six European Championship final tournaments.
He has won Portugal's three major international titles: Euro 2016, and the Nations League editions in 2019 and 2025. The first two trophies were secured under Santos, while Spanish manager Martínez led the team to the 2025 victory.
In the Nations League, Ronaldo has appeared in the two final tournaments that Portugal has played in and won. The national side failed to qualify for the decisive stages in the other two editions of the competition.
