The road to Qatar 2022 may have been harder than expected for Portugal but in the end they got the job done and will play in their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup, which is great news for world soccer as Cristiano Ronaldo could be back in soccer's most anticipated event.
Fernando Santos' men had to sweat to punch their ticket as a shocking defeat to Serbia in the final matchday of the European qualifiers group stage sent them to the UEFA playoffs, where they eventually sealed a place in Qatar.
Portugal first knocked Turkey out with a commanding 3-1 victory before they took care of business against North Macedonia in the final claiming a 2-0 win. Barring injury or any strange decision, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in the World Cup again.
How many World Cups has Cristiano Ronaldo played in?
World soccer has gotten used to seeing Portugal and Ronaldo in FIFA's flagship tournament ever since he rose to stardom at Manchester United. Portugal have qualified for consecutive World Cups since 2002, while Ronaldo has been part of their roster since Germany 2006.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played in four FIFA World Cups so far, Qatar 2022 would be the fifth time he plays in the prestigious competition. In 17 World Cup appearances, Ronaldo has 7 goals and a 6-6-5 record.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared at FIFA World Cups with Portugal?
Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to win a FIFA World Cup, the furthest he has ever gone in this tournament was the third-place game in 2006, when Portugal finished fourth after losing 3-1 to Germany.
His worst performance came in Brazil 2014, when he only scored one goal as his team failed to get past the group stage. The best version of Ronaldo in a World Cup came in Russia 2018, when he scored a career-high four goals (thanks to a hat-trick against Spain in the opening game of the group stage). However, Portugal were knocked out in the round of 16 at the hands of Uruguay. Will they have better luck this year?
