Day 22 until kickoff
Roberto Martinez did something unusual when he named Portugal's World Cup squad this week. He called it "27 players plus one" — the plus one being Diogo Jota, the former Liverpool forward who died in a car crash last July. "He is our strength, our joy," Martinez said. "Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and very difficult moment, but the very next day it was up to all of us to fight for Diogo's dream." It's the kind of moment that reminds you the World Cup is never just about soccer.
The squad itself has no real surprises — which, at this point, is its own kind of news.
Ronaldo's Sixth, and the Record That Comes With It
As I wrote yesterday, the Messi-Ronaldo farewell tour is the tournament's defining emotional thread. Ronaldo's inclusion in Portugal's squad makes it official: he will become the first man in history to play in six World Cups. He's 41, he's been at Al-Nassr since 2023, and he's eligible for all three group games after avoiding a three-match ban stemming from a red card in qualifying. Whether he starts, comes off the bench, or simply exists as a talisman — that's Martinez's call. But he's going.
The squad around him is genuinely strong. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao — this is not a team built around one aging icon. Portugal opens against DR Congo in Houston on June 17, then faces Uzbekistan before a Group K finale against Colombia in Miami. That's a very winnable group, and if the PSG quartet of Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Goncalo Ramos come through the Champions League final against Arsenal on May 30 without injury, Portugal could arrive in Houston at full strength.
France and Sweden Are Already Packed
The Athletic's squad tracker confirms that France and Sweden are among the nations that have already announced their final 26-man lists — Kylian Mbappe and Alexander Isak are officially on the plane. Most of the bigger nations are still in provisional territory, with FIFA's final submission deadline set for June 1. Argentina, for instance, submitted a provisional list of up to 55 names this week and will need to trim it down.
The distinction matters. "Provisional" means a coach is still hedging — watching fitness, watching form, maybe waiting on a Champions League final to see who comes out healthy. "Final" means the decisions are made. France being done this early suggests Didier Deschamps has seen enough.
Bosnia's Edin Dzeko, Still Here
One name buried in the squad lists that deserves a second look: Edin Dzeko, listed in Bosnia and Herzegovina's confirmed roster at Schalke. He's 38, playing in the German second division, and still the most recognizable name on a squad that also features Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic and PSV's Esmir Bajraktarevic. Bosnia's group-stage run will be a tough ask, but watching Dzeko on a World Cup pitch one more time — alongside a generation of players who grew up watching him — has its own quiet poetry.
Countdown Corner
Portugal's Roberto Martinez named his squad as "27 plus one" in tribute to Diogo Jota.