EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal's squad for the March World Cup warm-up games against Mexico and the United States having failed to recover from a right hamstring injury.The Portugal captain's fitness was a concern after he had sustained the muscular problem while playing for Saudi Pro League leaders Al Nassr on Feb. 28.Ronaldo, 41, has undergone treatment in Madrid in the past two weeks but is unavailable to face Mexico at the renovated Azteca stadium on March 28. Nor will he play against the United States on March 31 in Atlanta, Georgia.Ronaldo has not played in the U.S. since 2014, when he was here as part of Real Madrid's preseason tour.Portugal will begin its World Cup campaign in Houston on June 17 against a winner of this month's playoff tournament.Portugal coach Roberto Martnez reassured fans that Ronaldo is not at risk of missing what will be a record sixth World Cup."No, he's not in danger," he said when announcing his 27-man squad on Friday. "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."Since Ronaldo's last game in the U.S., a case involving allegations of sexual assault against him was reopened in 2018 by model Kathryn Mayorga over an alleged incident that took place in 2009 in Las Vegas. Ronaldo denied the allegations and charges were never filed by the Las Vegas Police Department.He made his first public appearance since then as a guest at the White House last November as President Donald Trump hosted a glitzy dinner to honor Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.The all-time leading scorer in men's international football with 143 goals, Ronaldo had missed Portugal's last game of 2025, a 9-1 victory over Armenia in their final World Cup qualifier on Nov. 16, through suspension.Ronaldo's in-form Al Nassr teammate Jo�o Flix is in the squad as is Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes, who has seven goals and 16 assists in 27 league games this season.West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes has earned his first call-up and is one of six Premier League based players in Portugal's squad. Real Sociedad winger Gonalo Guedes returns to the squad having not featured for the national team since 2022."Guedes is a versatile player," Martnez said. "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 Gonalo 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."Portugal squad: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jos S (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP); Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Jo�o Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Antnio Silva (SL Benfica) and Toms Arajo (SL Benfica); Rben Neves (Al Hilal), Sam Costa (Mallorca), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham), Jo�o Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) and Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto); Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), Pedro Gonalves (Sporting CP), Jo�o Flix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trinc�o (Sporting CP), Francisco Concei�o (Juventus), Rafael Le�o (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Gonalo Guedes (Real Sociedad) and Gonalo Ramos (PSG).
