No Cristiano Ronaldo Photo on World Cup Poster, FIFA Draws Criticism

FIFA is once again in the spotlight after deleting their official Instagram post of the 2026 World Cup poster that did not feature Portugal's megastar Cristiano Ronaldo. The removal followed protests from CR7 fans online.

Two days earlier, FIFA had displayed a photo collage of players from 42 countries that have secured spots in the 2026 World Cup.

For Portugal's representative, FIFA chose Bruno Fernandes instead of captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

This immediately sparked anger among Ronaldo's fans. To them, the decision felt bizarre.

Ronaldo remains a global football icon and the main figure of Portugal's national team, making his image's absence seem illogical.

The post's caption was also considered provocative. The text "42/48 team, 1 dream" was interpreted by some netizens as deliberately excluding Ronaldo.

Comments flooded in, criticism poured forth, and the post was eventually deleted. FIFA replaced it with a safer new poster showing only flags of participating nations, without any players' faces.

Amid the uproar, Ronaldo previously stated that World Cup status isn't a parameter for judging a great player's quality—a remark that resurfaced virally.

"If you ask me, Cristiano, is winning the World Cup a dream? No, it's not a dream," Ronaldo said in an interview with Piers Morgan on his personal YouTube channel.

"Defining what? Defining whether I'm one of history's best by winning one tournament (lasting) six matches, seven matches? Do you think that's fair?" he questioned.

This controversy adds dynamism ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Was it merely FIFA's editorial error, or does it intensify debates about Ronaldo's legacy? One certainty remains: the name CR7 still possesses earth-shaking power in football.