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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, Portugal, United States, FIFA World Cup
Ryan Smart
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, Portugal, United States, FIFA World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his return to the United States early next year, marking the first time in over a decade that he has played in the country.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
However, the majority of the tournament will be played in the States, with each group - minus Group A containing co-hosts Mexico, which has just one - having at least three fixtures scheduled to be played in the country.
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Ronaldo has indicated his desire to play at the tournament next summer and it was expected that would be the first time he would play in the States since August 2014, when he was at Real Madrid playing against Manchester United.
However, The Athletic report that the USMNT are in advanced talks with Portugal to host a friendly match in March 2026.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have qualified automatically for the World Cup, with their schedule therefore being filled with friendly matches between the end of last summer's Gold Cup and the start of the tournament.
The USMNT have already scheduled fixtures against Japan, Australia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador before the end of November. They lost 2-0 to South Korea on Saturday.
The Athletic add that US chiefs want to play both Portugal and Belgium in March, likely at an 'NFL-sized venue on the east coast'.
Both teams would have to qualify for the World Cup without needing to play in the play-offs, which are scheduled for March, for the matches to take place.
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Ronaldo has not been seen in the US since German outlet Der Spiegel published, in 2017, details of an alleged sexual assault involving Ronaldo and model Kathryn Mayorga in Las Vegas in 2009.
Ronaldo has always strenuously denied the allegations, and police confirmed in 2018 that no charges would be brought against the Portugal forward.