"You can say goodbye. Not today, but I think this is the farewell." That's Katia Aveiro — Cristiano Ronaldo's sister — speaking from the stands, and she's not being dramatic. She's being specific.
Katia confirmed what many had suspected: the 2026 World Cup in North America will be Ronaldo's final tournament with Portugal. Euro 2028 is not on the table. The curtain is coming down, just not quite yet.
A farewell tour that's still got goals left in it
There's something worth sitting with here. Ronaldo is still going. Still playing. Still, apparently, calmer than the rest of his family about all of it. "Ronaldo is confident; he's less nervous than we are," Katia said — which tracks for a man who has spent two decades treating pressure like a personal motivator.
The criticism he's faced at this World Cup hasn't landed where his detractors hoped. Katia was direct: "Do you think the criticism will affect our happiness? Never." It's the kind of defiance that comes from having already won the argument — 20-plus years at the top, Portugal built around him for a generation, a family that watched every match of the journey.
From a betting perspective, Portugal's odds in any future tournament market will look very different once Ronaldo is gone. Right now, his presence still shapes how Portugal are priced — and how they play. The 2026 World Cup is the last time punters will be able to factor him into a Portugal outright.
What comes after
Portugal will eventually need to answer a question they've been deferring for years: who leads when Ronaldo doesn't? That conversation starts the morning after the 2026 final, whenever Portugal's tournament ends.
For now, there's one more run. One more World Cup. According to his sister — "from a reliable source" — that's exactly how Ronaldo wants it.
