Following Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C., Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has backed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to win the much-anticipated quadrennial tournament.
Ronaldo’s national team will appear in the final phase of the World Cup for the ninth time in 2026, aiming to reach their first final. A Seleção‘s best performance at the World Cup, as of 2025, is their third-placed finish in 1966, their first appearance in the tournament.
Novak Djokovic Predicts FIFA World Cup Glory for Cristiano Ronaldo
During a recent interview, Novak Djokovic was asked to share his thoughts on next year’s FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He claimed that Portugal will taste success at the grandest stage of soccer next July.
“I’m going to be blunt about it… Portugal. And they are going to beat Mexico in the final,” the 24-time men’s singles Grand Slam champion said.
Earlier on Friday, Dec. 5, Portugal was drawn in Group K of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Roberto Martinez-coached team will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and one of New Caledonia, Jamaica, or DR Congo in the group stage next year.
READ MORE: Arsène Wenger Predicts Winner of 2026 FIFA World Cup
Roberto Martinez Hails Portugal Captain Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has showered praise on Cristiano Ronaldo, asserting the Al-Nassr attacker has an unparalleled mentality. He also spoke about the 40-year-old’s dedication and commitment.
“Cristiano is a person and a player who doesn’t let what happened yesterday, whatever it was, affect what he does today. I don’t know if it’s genetic or if it’s possible to work on it, but it’s the reality. He has this incredible need to take advantage of each day to be the best he can be,” Martinez said on the YouTube channel ‘Beast Mode On’
Martinez added, “This can be at the level of recovery, training, finishing, or whatever aspect he feels he needs to work on. He won’t let anything affect what he can improve. It doesn’t matter if he scores a hat-trick or misses three opportunities, his preparation, as soon as the final whistle blows, and will always be methodical and perfect. That’s something that gave him longevity.”
“I always said that a football player retires when the body tells the brain, ‘Listen, I’m finished.’ With Cristiano, I learned that it’s not like that. It’s the brain that tells the body it’s time to finish. He has this ability to want to be the best, every day. I’ve never seen that hunger before,” the former Belgium coach concluded.
So far, Ronaldo has scored 143 goals, including eight in the FIFA World Cup, for Portugal.
