Former World Cup champion Emmanuel Petit believes Cristiano Ronaldo has “no limits” and could play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at age 41. This comes as countries around the world continue their qualification campaigns and host cities prepare for the tournament next summer.
Ronaldo’s World Cup Dreams Still Alive
Former France World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the Portuguese star “has no limits” despite turning 40 years old. Ronaldo has made it his goal to silence critics and create more history by playing in the tournament next year in North America.
“When you have Cristiano Ronaldo in your team, you don’t know as a manager if you have to play him in the first 11 or as a substitute, because let’s be honest, at Euro 2024 his performances were not that good for Portugal,” Petit told pokerfirma.com.
Despite these concerns, Portugal remains a strong team in the FIFA rankings, currently sitting in seventh place after dropping one position in the latest update.
Argentina Continues Dominance in FIFA Rankings
The current World Cup champions Argentina remain at the top of the FIFA rankings, extending their reign that began in April 2023. After securing their qualification for the 2026 tournament, Argentina won both of their recent matches against Uruguay (0-1) and Brazil (4-1).
“Argentina’s national team has now spent two full years at the top of the FIFA World Ranking, moving up to fifth on the all-time list for the longest reigns at No. 1,” according to reports.
Spain has climbed to second place in the rankings, pushing France down to third. England and Brazil round out the top five teams.
New Zealand Celebrates Ranking Jump After World Cup Qualification
New Zealand has climbed to its highest FIFA world ranking in over a decade, now sitting at 86th in the world. This rise comes after victories against Fiji and New Caledonia in the Oceania World Cup qualifying pool, securing the All Whites a place at just their third World Cup ever in 2026.
“The highest ranking the side has been is 47th, achieved in August 2002,” reports note, demonstrating how significant this recent improvement is for New Zealand football.
Host Cities Prepare for Massive Tournament
Carson, California is rolling out a $27-million plan to bring fast, reliable, and affordable broadband to the city ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city is launching its own municipal fiber optic network to connect all major city parks to free Wi-Fi, including Dignity Health Sports Park, where practice sessions for the tournament will be held.
“Internet service can be spotty around Carson, and only a few pockets of the city have access to high-speed fiber,” according to Gary Carter, Carson’s IT and security manager. With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to attend World Cup events, reliable internet infrastructure has become a major priority for host cities.
African Nations Push for Qualification
Former Ghana international Mohammed Polo believes the Black Stars have “no excuse” to miss out on qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the increase in the number of teams that will qualify from Africa, Polo sees an easier path for Ghana to secure a spot at the tournament.
“This time, there are nine slots. There is no way they have to miss out,” Polo stated, urging players to avoid missing qualification as they did for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana currently leads their qualification group by three points after wins over Chad and Madagascar in the last international break.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with matches scheduled to begin in June 2026.
