WWith nearly 200 days left until the start of the FIFA World Cup, sports organizations have begun preparations by issuing one of the tournament’s promotional posters.
However, although it caused a lot of controversy on social media as it featured a variety of people representing each country, there was one notable absence: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano and Georgina’s battle of vanities
Fans did not forgive FIFA and FIFA was forced to retreat
On its official account, the International Football Federation shared a poster featuring the best players from each of the 42 teams that have qualified directly for the 2026 World Cup. The design was intended to promote the tournament’s final draw, scheduled for December 5th, but made the “mistake” of not allowing fans to miss it.
The post featured Argentina’s Lionel Messi, France’s Kylian Mbapp, England’s Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
However, when it came to Portugal, it was not the face of CR7 that I expected, but the face of Bruno Fernandes. At that moment, fans from Portugal and all over the world started criticizing him in the comments. As Boravip reported, FIFA did not ignore the pressure and complaints and chose to remove the poster from the account without explanation.
Some comments focused on CR7’s achievements, while others accused FIFA of favoring Lionel Messi. “Did the editor forget about Ronaldo? Yes, it’s 100% Messi fans at work,” FIFA said. Another user wrote: “Ronaldo doesn’t need a poster. Posters need Ronaldo.” “Missing CR7 always brings heat. No wonder they had to remove it,” a third fan commented.
Meanwhile, the 2026 World Cup draw to determine the participating groups will be held in Washington on Friday, December 5th.
The competition will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Teams that have already qualified for the World Cup:
CONCACAF: Host Canada, the United States, Mexico, Panama, Curaçao and Haiti also qualified. CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay. UEFA (Europe): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands. AFC (Asia): Saudi Arabia, Australia, Qatar, South Korea, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Uzbekistan. CAF (Africa): Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia. OFC (Oceania): New Zealand.
