FIFA World Cup 2026 Poster Deleted After Outrage Over Ronaldo Snub

FIFA removed one of the first official posters for next year's World Cup after fan backlash online due to Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo's absence in it.

Cristiano Ronaldo has qualified for his 6th consecutive FIFA World Cup

Source : X, @FIFAWorldCup

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The hype for FIFA World Cup 2026 is slowly building with the tournament just a little over 6 months away.

An official poster had also been uploaded on X, which featured a lot of football stars, including the Lionel Messi, captain of the current world champions.

However, it wasn't left uploaded for long as the absence of a Portugal great from it caused an uproar.

Ronaldo Snubbed From FIFA World Cup 2026 poster

🚨 BREAKING:

FIFA deletes the official World Cup poster following the massive backlash for not including Cristiano Ronaldo. pic.twitter.com/3ROoOdcKnl

— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) November 20, 2025

The originally uploaded World Cup poster featured players like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Christian Pulisic, and as mentioned, Lionel Messi.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the top football stars of the modern, was nowhere to be seen. Instead of him, it was Bruno Fernandes representing Portugal in the poster.

A new poster has been uploaded by FIFA on X, and while this one does feature Ronaldo, there are a few other interesting things to note in it. 

What was your favourite moment from #Qatar2022? 💭 pic.twitter.com/Z5BEN1pIZn

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2025

For instance, Lionel Messi appears front and centre in it, holding the World Cup trophy. The moment of Argentina's goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, saving Randal Kolo Muani's shot, and Gonzalo Montiel's match-winning penalty in the final is also there.

Moreover, the shot of Youssef En-Nesyri's header, that ended up knocking Portugal out of FIFA World Cup 2022, is also present top-left in the new poster.

Ronaldo Could Miss World Cup 2026 Matches?

Cristiano Ronaldo was handed a straight Red Card after he seemingly elbowed Ireland's O'Shea during a recent World Cup Qualifier match. 

He missed the following game against Armenia, which Portugal won to qualify for the 2026 tournament, but as 'CR7' was served a straight Red Card, he could be suspended for a few more 'official' games for his country, which will be played at the World Cup next year.