Sports
Portugal Media Demand Cristiano Ronaldo Retire After World Cup Exit
All eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal took on Spain in the World Cup Last 16, but the veteran forward looked every bit his 41 years of age as his nation lost 1-0.
Despite its billing, the game was a low-key event as both teams struggled to create much. In the end, Mikel Merino came off the bench to net a winner, keeping his cool when put through on goal in the 91st minute.
And with that, Ronaldo’s hopes of winning at the World Cup came to an end. This was his sixth time playing in the tournament, but having failed to go all the way yet again, he has now confirmed this was his last shot at glory.
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The Al-Nassr striker’s inclusion in the team has been up for debate for some time now. He failed to score at Euro 2024, but kept his place in the team this summer. Thierry Henry was among those to question just how useful it was to have Ronaldo in the Portugal starting XI.
The 41-year-old scored two goals against Uzbekistan and a penalty vs Croatia in his five World Cup outings, but he struggled to have any impact against Spain. In light of the 1-0 defeat, the Portuguese media have now dropped a very clear verdict on Ronaldo, suggesting it’s time he stepped away from the national team.
Portugal’s A Bola strongly stated:
“We do not want to ‘kill’ Ronaldo. But enough is enough. The captain’s era has already lasted longer than necessary, and it must end now.”
Portuguese outlet Record added: “Ronaldo finished his last stage with another regret, recording 11 World Cup goals in total (3 in this tournament).
“Unfortunately, this kind of scene was not new to Ronaldo and the Portuguese people. He was eliminated in the round of 16 by Morocco in the 2022 Qatar tournament and cried in the tunnel heading to the locker room. Ronaldo’s end on the world’s biggest stage became one of sadness.”
A Bola were also baffled that Ronaldo wasn’t subbed off sooner for Gonçalo Ramos, although it laid the blame at the feet of manager Roberto Martinez (who has since quit).
Their journalists wrote, “There is only one person responsible. Martinez,” before adding: “The obsession with never touching the established status of Ronaldo and [Bruno] Fernandes ultimately left Portugal in tears.
“Not putting Ramos in was the final scene of the horror movie Martínez showed. It was like choosing a diplomatic coach who would smile and wave while the house was burning rather than causing a stir. Ramos was a player who produced an attacking point every 37 minutes on average at the World Cup.”
Writers from A Bola then urged change, saying,
“Now it is time for Ronaldo to step back. We already know. His pride will not allow him to become the backup for a player who is currently showing far better form. The pathological obsession that Ronaldo must play 90 minutes, 90 minutes, and another 90 minutes has left the course of this World Cup forever uncertain had it not existed.”
Adding to the criticism, the Spanish media have also commented on Ronaldo’s final World Cup outing, as they watched their countrymen knock Portugal out of the tournament. As quoted by the Mirror, ABC wrote:
“Lacking speed, dribbling and bite. At times, he didn’t even seem to know what to do with the ball. “His lacklustre performance wasn’t enough to send him to the bench, which partly explains the meagre attacking output of a Portugal side that relied on him as its main attacking threat.”
La Razon called “participation in the game was limited” and highlighted his lack of movement: “Over the years, his range of action on the field has considerably reduced, and he no longer possesses the explosiveness that characterised much of his career.
“He was the player who covered the fewest kilometres and never came close to truly troubling Unai Simon. He left without the leading role he had envisioned for such a momentous night, although with the feeling of having given everything he had.”
AS summed things up as they asked: “What about Cristiano? No sign of him.”
All three of the host nations at the 2026 World Cup have now been knocked out at the Round of 16. First, Canada fell to 3-0 to Morocco, before Mexico lost 3-2 to England in an instant classic, while the United States were then thumped by Belgium 4-1.
That last game was a controversial affair as US forward Folarin Balogun was allowed to feature in the match, despite having been sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Last 32. Seemingly upon Donald Trump’s request, the star striker saw his suspension suspended for a year by FIFA, as he immediately returned to action.
However, Balogun struggled to get involved against Belgium as the European side won the game easily. Charles De Ketelaere grabbed a brace either side of Malik Tillman’s equaliser, before goals from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku made it 4-1.
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USMNT Slammed After World Cup Exit vs Belgium
During the tournament, the co-hosts had managed to build up great hype with many USMNT fans believing they could go far into the competition, and possibly even win it. That dream came to a jarring end against Belgium, and pundits on Canadian broadcaster The Sports Network (TSN) were rather damning with their assessment of the US.
Former Republic of Ireland footballer Kevin Kilbane did not hold back when asked why the team and their support had such high hopes when there was little to suggest they could beat a top European side. He said:
“Well, that’s the hype train. That’s the messages they’ve been getting, external noise coming in. They were actually believing that they were going to go on and win the World Cup! That was what they were thinking, genuinely!
“We knew that a Last 16 [finish] at best was what the US were going to do in this World Cup. They believed [they could reach the] quarters, semi-finals, maybe they could go all the way, but this is the level where they are.
“They were embarrassed on and off the pitch because Belgium showed how flawed they are as a side.”
Former Scottish defender Steven Caldwell then singled out Tyler Adams for criticism, calling out his ‘rash’ behaviour on the pitch, and claiming he didn’t show enough leadership on the pitch. The full clip, shown below, has gone viral, sparking thousands of comments on social media:
Christian Pulisic Targeted After ‘Terrible’ Display vs Belgium
The host then came on to Christian Pulisic, who struggled with injury throughout the tournament, missing the 2-0 win over Australia and lasting just 59 minutes before coming off against Belgium. Despite the fitness concerns, Caldwell was less than impressed with the US star, explaining:
“No, he didn’t impact the game at all. He was absolutely terrible in the match. He had 11 giveaways in the first half, 14 in total, before he pulled the parachute and wanted to be off this field.
“I don’t know how bad the injury is, I don’t want to speculate on that, but he did not want to be out there in every sense of the word. It’s disappointing; he’s supposed to be the star of this team, the one who steps up in moments like this and delivers, and he did anything but that. Really, though, this whole tournament, he was nowhere near the level that they needed. Again, it’s that hype train…”
Speaking to the press after the game, Pulisic explained why he had to come off, saying: “I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play. I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It’s just unfortunate way to finish.”
He added: “I’m disappointed with myself, of course, but I’m going to try to stay positive. I did a lot of good things and the team did as well.”
The 2030 FIFA World Cup promises to be one of the most unique editions in the tournament’s history as it celebrates its centenary.
Marking 100 years since the first ever World Cup in Uruguay, the competition will span three continents and six host nations, combining a celebration of football tradition with a modern, expanded format.
With Spain, Portugal and Morocco staging the majority of the tournament, whilst Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay host centenary matches, the 2030 World Cup is set to provide the grandest tournament the sport has ever seen.
But when will the tournament take place, which cities will have the honor of hosting the tournament, and how will qualification work?
When the 2030 World Cup Takes Place
- June 8, 2030 – July 21, 2030
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is expected to kick off on 8th June, 2030 with the first of three centenary matches. Uruguay’s Estadio Centenario, which hosted the majority of matches at the inaugural tournament in 1930, has been selected as the opening venue for the tournament.
Following the other two centenary games, played in Argentina and Paraguay, the tournament will continue in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the final expected to take place on 21st July, 2030. Given that the competition is a while away, these dates are based on FIFA’s current planning framework, with the full tournament calendar expected to be published closer to the event.
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World Cup 2030 Host Countries
As a celebration of 100 years since the first World Cup, the 2030 edition will be the first of its kind, spanning three continents and six host nations.
As hosts of the 2022 and 2026 competitions respectively, the 2030 tournament could not be hosted by members of the Asian or North American football federations. This left the African, South American, Oceanic and European federations to fight over the privilege of hosting the historic tournament.
The United Kingdom and Ireland had initially launched a bid to host the historic tournament, but abandoned it after announcing their decision to bid for Euro 2028. FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, also previously alluded to a potential rule change that would’ve seen Saudi Arabia allowed to launch a joint bid with Egypt and Greece for the 2030 tournament.
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However, it was decided that the majority of the tournament would take place across Europe and Africa after Spain, Portugal and Morocco won hosting rights after seeing their joint bid voted through at the 2024 FIFA Congress meeting on 11th December.
However, not all the games will be played in Europe and Africa, after FIFA announced that the tournament would feature three centenary games, the first of which will play out at the stadium that hosted the first ever World Cup final, Uruguay’s Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
The Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will also host a game at the 2030 World Cup to commemorate Argentina’s spot in the final of the inaugural tournament. Similarly, Paraguay‘s Estadio General Pablo Rojas will house the third and final centenary match as the home of CONMEBOL, the only confederation in existence at the time of the 1930 World Cup.
|
Host Nation |
Proposed Host Cities |
|---|---|
|
Uruguay |
Montevideo (centenary match only) |
|
Argentina |
Buenos Aires (centenary match only) |
|
Paraguay |
Asunción (centenary match only) |
|
Morocco |
Agadir Casablanca Fez Marrakesh Rabat Tangier |
|
Portugal |
Lisbon Porto |
|
Spain |
Barcelona Bilbao Las Palmas Madrid San Sebastián Seville Valencia Vigo Zaragoza |
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World Cup 2030 Qualification
As the host nations, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Morocco, Portugal and Spain will all receive automatic qualification to the 2030 tournament. So far, only CONCACAF and UEFA have confirmed changes to their qualifying format for the competition.
CONCACAF
CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, announced that nations will have to survive a three-round qualification format in order to make it to the World Cup in 2030. Initially, the 22 teams ranked 14-35 in the CONCACAF rankings will be drawn into pairs. The winner across two legs will advance into round two.
From there, they will be joined by the top 13 ranked associations to create six groups of four, each playing one another home-and-away. The top two from each of these groups will progress to the final round, where the 12 teams will, once again, be split into groups of four where each team plays each other twice. The top two from each group will be awarded with automatic qualification to the World Cup, whilst the two best third-placed teams will play a two-legged play-in, with the aggregate winner qualifying for the FIFA Intercontinental playoffs.
UEFA
UEFA, on the other hand, have announced a new qualification format that mirrors both the Champions League and Nations League. The two-tier process aims to remove uncompetitive games whereby bigger nations face off against smaller teams.
League 1 will see the 36-highest ranked countries, as determined by the 2028-29 Nations League drawn into three groups of 12, from which teams will play six games against different opponents. The best-ranked teams in each group will gain automatic qualification, with the rest entering the playoffs.
The 18 lower-ranked teams will also be split into three groups, with the top performing teams in each group joining those who missed out on automatic qualification from League 1, in the playoffs, to determine the remaining European representatives at the World Cup.
Key World Cup 2030 Qualification Dates
|
Confederation |
Important Qualification Dates |
|---|---|
|
CONCACAF |
Round 1: September–October 2027 Round 2: October–November 2027 and March 2028 Final Round: June 2028 and September-October 2029 Play-in: November 2029 |
|
UEFA |
March 2029-March 2030* |
|
AFC |
October 2027–November 2029* |
|
CAF |
November 2027–November 2029* |
|
CONMEBOL |
September 2027–September 2029* |
|
OFC |
September 2028–March 2029* |
|
Play-Offs |
March 2030* |
*Estimated time-frame based on 2026 qualification dates
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The replacement fighter for UFC 329’s main event has been revealed should either Conor McGregor or Max Holloway not be able to compete this Saturday.
McGregor is due to return to the Octagon for the first time in five years following a leg break in the first round of his bout against Dustin Poirier. It will be the second time he has fought against Holloway, having faced him in 2013, where the Irishman won via the judges’ scorecards.
There are currently no signs to suggest McGregor or Holloway will miss the event this weekend, despite some UFC fans fearing the worst regarding the former due to recent activity, but a replacement fighter is always chosen as a precaution.
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The fighter picked to fly out to Nevada is Mauricio Ruffy, the #10 fighter in the lightweight rankings.
“I’m going on a trip to Las Vegas,” the Brazilian said. “I took good care of myself. These guys made me train in the middle of my vacation.”
Ruffy’s last fight was just last month, when he participated in the White House card, where he won via TKO in the first round of his fight with Michael Chandler. ‘One Shot’ currently comes in at 185lbs, meaning he would need to lose 15lbs before Friday’s weigh-in. He is expected to step on the scales along with McGregor and Holloway in case he is required to step in.
Discussing the possibility of facing off against McGregor or Holloway, Ruffy said: “Me against Conor McGregor. I believe it would be a very good fight.
“I think a fight would have been made easier by the fact of rhythm and everything else, right? Always having the dangers of the fight. But I believe it would be a really cool fight against Max Holloway. I believe in my knockout power. He’s a guy who doesn’t – seeks to play forward there all the time. But I go there to define the fights, and I don’t miss my chances.”
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McGregor, though, is his usual confident self, maintaining the self-belief that he can knock Holloway out once more.
“You do not want to be anywhere inside that Octagon with me,” he said. “I am dangerous everywhere. I can knock you unconscious from everywhere inside that Octagon, and that’s what I plan to do. There’s a different animal entirely that is in front of Max Holloway here, and he’s going to feel every bit of it.”
Holloway, meanwhile, expects a thrilling, adrenaline-filled fight, stating: “At the end of the day, I’ve got to go out there, I’ve got to be exciting. I’ve got to get a big finish, or if not a big finish, a super dominant win in a way where people are just mind-blown, and people are excited about it.
“People keep forgetting. Yes, we’re fighters, we need to win, but we’re also entertainers. That’s what I plan to do. That’s why people tune into my fights, and this fight is going to be no different.”
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