Jorge Jesus names Portugal squad after Ronaldo retirement

Jorge Jesus has announced his first Portugal squad since Cristiano Ronaldo ended his international career, with seven new players included for the Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales.

Portugal host Denmark on 14 November 2026 before travelling to face Wales on 17 November. The squad includes first call-ups for Alberto Costa and Gustavo Varela, while Rodrigo Mora and Geovany Quenda have been involved in senior training camps but have yet to play for the first team.

Francisco Conceicao misses out because of the three-match suspension imposed by UEFA following his dismissal against Norway. Paris Saint-Germain full-back Nuno Mendes is absent because of injury, while Goncalo Inacio was left out for sporting reasons after initially being named in Jesus’ first selection.

The seven additions to the previous squad are Alberto Costa, Antonio Silva, Matheus Fernandes, Carlos Forbes, Geovany Quenda, Rodrigo Mora and Gustavo Varela.

Portugal have won all four of their matches in the competition and have already secured a place in the Nations League quarter-finals. They need one point to guarantee top spot in their group.

They could confirm first place before the match against Wales. Avoiding a defeat by more than one goal against Denmark would be enough for Portugal to finish above their opponents on head-to-head record.

Portugal squad

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting Lisbon), Samuel Soares (Benfica).

Defenders: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Alberto Costa (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Tomas Araujo (Benfica), Antonio Silva (Bournemouth), Nuno Tavares (Lazio).

Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Joao Palhinha (Benfica), Matheus Fernandes (Tottenham Hotspur), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid).

Forwards: Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rodrigo Mora (Roma), Francisco Trincao (Al-Ahli), Rafael Leao (Galatasaray), Geovany Quenda (Chelsea), Carlos Forbes (Club Brugge), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Goncalo Ramos (Milan), Fabio Silva (Borussia Dortmund), Gustavo Varela (Monza).

Bernardo Silva to lead Portugal

Jesus also confirmed the five players who will share the captaincy following Ronaldo’s retirement, saying the decision is based on international appearances.

“In the national team, they are chosen according to the number of international appearances. At the moment, there are five players with the most matches. Interestingly, they have all been players of mine at the clubs I have managed,” he said at a news conference, according to RMC.

“The logic will remain the same. After Cristiano, the player with the most appearances is Bernardo Silva, followed by Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Bruno Fernandes. It is not necessarily in that order, but those five are the captains.”