Could Cristiano Ronaldo score his 1000th career goal in the World Cup final? | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo is growing ever closer to his stated ambition of scoring a thousand career goals – but could the stars be aligning for him to get there on the biggest stage of all?

The 41-year-old scored the 969th official goal of his career in Al-Nassr’s 4-0 victory over Al Wasl at the weekend.

Thirty-one goals to go… It appears increasingly likely that the veteran Portugal international will reach goal No.1000 at some point in 2026. But when? Might he get there at the 2026 World Cup? Could he cap off his career in unthinkable style by reaching the milestone in the final?

We’ve taken a closer look at whether it might be possible. One thing’s for sure – he won’t hang up his boots until he notches his thousandth goal.

“It’s hard to continue playing, but I am motivated,” he said, after being named the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai in December.

“My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn’t matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going.

“You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.”

While a thousand goals appears achievable, he’s a bit more casual on the prospect of lifting the World Cup.

He’s downplayed the suggestion that he needs it in order to complete his career, as his great rival Lionel Messi arguably did at the last edition of FIFA’s flagship tournament in Qatar.

“If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it’s not a dream,” Ronaldo told Piers Morgan.

“Define what? To define if I’m one of the best of the history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it’s fair?”

Despite being over the age of 40 and having plied his trade out in Saudi Arabia since the last World Cup, it appears almost certain that Portugal manager Roberto Martinez will continue to start the five-time Ballon d’Or winner out in North America.

Ronaldo was injured over the last international break, but if he’s fit and available he’ll surely start Portugal’s 2026 World Cup opener against DR Congo after FIFA controversially decided to suspend his suspension following his straight red card against the Republic of Ireland in November.

“Cristiano is our captain, a role model and a player with a real hunger,” Martinez said.

“He’s not just a 41-year-old player; he’s a player who’s hungry to improve every day. He’s proving to be an exemplary captain and an inspiration to the younger players, someone who shows the way and embodies our values.

“And on the pitch, he’s scored 25 goals in the last 30 games. We assess the players on a day-to-day basis, session by session, and the standards in the national team are the highest for everyone.”

But what about the thousand goals? Could they match up to the World Cup final?

Put plainly, it’s massively unlikely. But not quite impossible. Ronaldo would have to pick up the pace considerably if he’s to manage it at the World Cup.

He needs 31 more goals to get there.

There are five games left of Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League campaign, with them in pole position to win the title for the first time since Ronaldo joined the club in 2023.

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have also up to two more matches to play in the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two, Asia’s second-tier continental competition (equivalent to UEFA’s Europa League). They play Qatari outfit Al Ahli before in the semis before a potential meeting with Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka in May’s showpiece final.

That’s up to seven club games in the 2025-26 calendar. Portugal then play a friendly against Chile before the World Cup gets underway (and international friendly goals are counted as part of his official tally).

Should Portugal go all the way out in the United States, there’s eight games in total in the newly-expanded tournament, with an added Round of 32 knockout match following the usual three-match group. They could face Messi’s Argentina in the quarters if both sides top their groups and make it that far.

So, in total, that’s 17 games. To score 31 goals.

Probably a stretch for Ronaldo, who didn’t even average that many goals in his Real Madrid prime. He’s scored 12 goals in 15 appearances in 2026 so far, to put his current goalscoring rate in context.

If Ronaldo can bang in a few hat-tricks for Al-Nassr in the 2025-26 run-in, he might just open up the possibility. But then again, he hasn’t scored a hat-trick in almost two years, so suddenly doing so now – in multiple games – doesn’t appear all that likely.

Goal number 1000 is growing ever closer, but it would take a miracle for it to happen at the World Cup.

Were we to hazard a guess, if he can remain injury-free and maintain his current output… It’ll probably happen in October or November.