Ronaldo and Portugal forced back from beach by security ahead of World Cup opener

Portugal’s build-up to their World Cup opener was thrown into disarray when security concerns forced Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates to abandon a planned beach session near their Palm Beach base.

The squad had been using the Four Seasons resort as their headquarters and hoped to take advantage of a private beach during downtime ahead of their Group opener. However, with a public bathing area situated close by, security personnel intervened over fears that the players could not be adequately shielded from members of the public, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola.

Security urged the players to return to the hotel, and coaching staff subsequently relocated the session to the pool area. The concern, per the same report, was that it would be impossible to create a protective bubble around the beach, which — like the private section — opens out onto the Atlantic Ocean.

A Portugal supporter living in Florida who had hoped to catch a glimpse of the squad told A Bola he spotted Ronaldo before the veteran, along with several team-mates, turned back toward the hotel. Not all players followed suit immediately — Chelsea winger Pedro Neto and Manchester City defender Rúben Dias are reported to have enjoyed a brief swim before eventually heading inside.

Portugal begin their World Cup campaign against the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday. Uzbekistan and Colombia complete their group, with the group winner advancing to face a third-placed side in the round of 32.

The Seleção qualified in dominant fashion, finishing top of their qualifying group and thrashing Armenia 9-1 in their final fixture to secure their place at the tournament. Ronaldo had been sent off in the penultimate qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 13 November 2025, but FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee subsequently suspended two of his three-match ban under a one-year probation period, allowing him to feature throughout the tournament provided he avoids a further serious infringement.