Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo will not participate in the match against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca due to physical issues. The player was left out of Roberto Martinez's squad for the March FIFA international break. This means he will not play against Mexico this Saturday or against the United States next Tuesday. Ronaldo has been out of action for exactly one month, his last official match was on February 28 with Al Nassr.

Following that match, he was diagnosed with a hamstring injury from which he is still recovering. This injury forced CR7 to miss his club's last two league matches, and it has also had an even bigger impact at the international level. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez was unable to include him in the squad for the March FIFA international break, during which the national team will face Mexico and the United States.

This means Ronaldo will not return to action with Portugal before Martinez finalizes the 26-man roster that will represent the country at the 2026 World Cup. The decision must be made by May 30. While this does not affect the forward’s chances of making the squad, it does represent a setback in the team’s preparation, as they will be without their biggest star at a key stage on the road to the FIFA tournament.

Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus acknowledged that the situation was not encouraging. “After tests, we see the injury suffered by Cristiano Ronaldo was more serious than expected,” said the Al Nassr coach. Now, reports indicate that CR7 could return on April 3, when Al Nassr face Al-Najma in the Saudi Pro League.

For Saturday night’s matchup against Mexico at Estadio Azteca, Roberto Martinez faces the challenge of finding a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports indicate that Goncalo Ramos will take the center forward role in the starting lineup, supported in attack by Joao Felix and Pedro Neto.

On March 28, 2026, the Portugal national team posted an image on X (formerly Twitter) that read: «O 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼 𝗡𝘂́𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝟭 da nossa preparação para o Mundial 📍🗺️ #VaiDarPortugal #FIFAWorldCup». At the time Ronaldo’s injury was confirmed in early March, Al Nassr avoided providing a specific timeline for his return, stating that “he started a rehabilitation program and will be under evaluation day by day.”