Cristiano Ronaldo and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman are set to visit the White House, marking Ronaldo’s first United States appearance since 2014.
Donald Trump will welcome Bin Salman to the seat of American government on Tuesday and Ronaldo is expected to attend a meeting there on the same day.
Ronaldo was suspended for Portugal’s concluding World Cup 2026 qualifier but they secured their finals berth without him, raising questions about the 40-year-old’s long-standing absence from one of its host nations.
Ronaldo returns to the United States on Tuesday, months before World Cup 2026
The Portugal captain has been notably uninvolved in any football activity in the United States.
“Ronaldo’s absence in the U.S. has been magnified since 2017 when the German newspaper Der Spiegel revealed details of an alleged sexual assault involving Ronaldo and the model Kathryn Mayorga during a holiday in Las Vegas in 2009 – always strenuously denied by Ronaldo and for which charges have never been brought,” report Adam Crafton and Henry Bushnell of The Athletic.
“In recent months, Ronaldo has also been part of diplomatic efforts to woo Trump. In July, the European Council president Antonio Costa [himself Portuguese], gave the US President a Portugal jersey signed by Ronaldo during a Group Seven summit in Canada. It was a No. 7 jersey, signed by Ronaldo."
A visit to the White House on Tuesday would end speculation about Ronaldo’s willingness or ability to lead Portugal at the World Cup next summer but is primarily a matter of Saudi Arabian diplomacy.
Bin Salman and Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) own Al Nassr and three other Saudi Pro League clubs and has employed Ronaldo as his star attraction since 2023.
The veteran has scored 83 goals in 85 Pro League appearances for the Riyadh club and has been involved in a host of promotional activities in the name of the kingdom and its royal family.
“Ronaldo, arguably the most famous soccer player in the world, has become the face of the Saudi Pro League, the domestic soccer league in Saudi Arabia which has invested billions of state dollars into attracting some of the most well-known players in the world in recent years,” reports The Athletic.
The Portugal captain has scored 143 goals in 226 senior appearances but is set to miss the start of the World Cup after picking up a suspension for a red card against the Republic of Ireland in their penultimate qualifying match.
Portugal qualified automatically for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico by winning Group F, finishing three points ahead of Ireland.
Former Real Madrid and Manchester United star Ronaldo was the joint-highest scorer in the group with Hungary’s Barnabas Varga and Troy Parrott of Ireland, who scored all five of his goals in the space of four days in the current international match window.
