Official: 26-man Portugal FIFA World Cup squad for Qatar announced with Cristiano Ronaldo set to play starring role

Portugal manager Fernando Santos has announced the official 26-man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar with five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo as the leader of the pack.

The final squad has confirmed the inclusion of their 39-year-old legendary defender Pepe, who was doubtful of finding his name in the squad after an injury scare. However, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Renato Sanches has not been included in the final list. Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is another name missing from the squad due to injury issues.

Official. Portugal squad for 2022 World Cup. 🚨🇵🇹 #WorldCup2022 https://t.co/daOKomCW9X

The Portuguese manager will be looking to better his performance than the one in 2018 in Russia where they lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the Round of 16. The Euro 2016 winners have a balance of youth and senior players who have played football for the biggest clubs in Europe in their squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Ronaldo, who will be playing his fifth FIFA World Cup, posted a photo of the entire 26-man squad on social media to announce their commitment to giving their all for the ultimate glory in Qatar.

Here is the list of the Portuguese players selected for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Patricio, Jose Sa

Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Danilo Pereira, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro

Midfielders: William Carvalho, Ruben Neves, Joao Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Otavio, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario

Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Andre Silva, Gonçalo Ramos

Portugal have been placed alongside Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H. They will face Nigeria in a warmup match on 18 November before taking on Ghana six days later for their first group-stage match of the FIFA World Cup. Their final two league games will be against Uruguay and South Korea on 29 November and 2 December, respectively.

Portugal FIFA World Cup squad: Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to play a starring role in Qatar

Cristiano Ronaldo's probable big moment for his country arrived as Portugal announced their FIFA World Cup squad with him as the team's leader. The highest men's international goalscorer will hope to play a starring role in Qatar, aiming to win the ultimate prize in what could be his last World Cup.

Ronaldo, who has won almost every team and individual accolades for club and country, will be hoping to lead his team to a World Cup triumph. The Portuguese striker has been preparing hard for the biggest event in the football world despite having a hard time finding his place regularly in the Manchester United setup under Erik ten Hag.

Ronaldo will be looking to make the most out of the last few opportunities he gets to return to his top goal-scoring form before the World Cup.