Jorge Jesus keeps Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal squad for Nations League

Jorge Jesus has made his decision: Cristiano Ronaldo will feature under his management. Portugal’s new head coach released a 25-player squad on Friday for three Nations League matches in September and October, with the name of “CR7” appearing without ambiguity.

The decision had been closely watched since Jesus’s appointment as replacement for Roberto Martinez, who was sacked after Portugal’s elimination in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Ronaldo, who had been benched by Fernando Santos at the 2022 World Cup before regaining his place under Martinez, continues his international career at 40 years old. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s target of 1,000 career goals remains in sight.

The squad also features some new additions: goalkeeper Samuel Soares (Benfica), left-back Nuno Tavares (Lazio), striker Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund) and midfielder João Palhinha (Benfica) join the group for the first time under Jesus.

For the rest, the head coach relies on an established core. In midfield, Vitinha, João Neves (both at PSG) and Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid) are called up. In attack, Rafael Leão, now at Galatasaray despite subdued performances in recent months, features in the squad, as do João Felix, Ronaldo’s teammate at Al-Nassr, and Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan).

Portugal will open this Nations League sequence by hosting Wales on September 24 (20:45), before travelling to Norway on September 27 (20:45), then to Denmark on October 1 (20:45).