Why Cristiano Ronaldo Was Suspended in 2026 — and What It Means for Portugal

On 9 October 2026 the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) opened an urgent disciplinary case against Cristiano Ronaldo and provisionally suspended him from the national team. The case was opened by the non-professional section of the FPF's Disciplinary Council (Conselho de Disciplina). The cause is his walkout on 30 September: Ronaldo, Portugal's 41-year-old captain, left the squad in Copenhagen during a Nations League window, the day before the match against Denmark. The FPF's disciplinary rules punish a player who abandons the national team without justification with a suspension of one to six months. No final sanction or length has been announced. The suspension covers national-team activity only. Ronaldo kept playing for his Saudi club Al-Nassr and scored for them on the day the case was opened. FPF president Pedro Proença has said he expects Ronaldo back for the November international break.

What happened between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus?

Jorge Jesus, 72, named his first Portugal squad on 18 September and included Ronaldo for Nations League Group A4 games against Wales, Norway and Denmark. Jesus had coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr the season before, according to the German agency dpa. Ronaldo later said they agreed a workload plan for the window: he would play the home matches and rest in the two away games while travelling with the squad. On 27 September in Oslo, Portugal beat Norway 2-1 with goals from João Félix and Gonçalo Ramos. Ronaldo warmed up but never came on. Le Figaro and La Vanguardia reported it was the first time since 2008 that he had been an unused substitute for Portugal. Afterwards he did not join his team-mates in applauding the travelling fans.

The rift deepened in Denmark. RTP reported that on 29 September he worked in the hotel gym and not with the squad. On 30 September Proença skipped Portugal's under-21 match against Gibraltar in Ponta Delgada and flew to Copenhagen for crisis talks. Later that day, after Jesus's pre-match press conference, Ronaldo left the camp. AFP reported he had learned he would not start against Denmark, and dpa reported he flew out on a private jet. Portugal won 4-2 in Copenhagen on 1 October without him. Rafael Leão wore his No. 7 shirt.

On 4 October Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in Porto, with goals from João Cancelo and Gonçalo Ramos, and qualified for the quarter-finals with two group games to spare. Jesus then left the door open. He said Ronaldo would be a candidate for his next squad as long as he was still playing for Al-Nassr. He called the episode a misunderstanding and said the decision was Ronaldo's, adding that if he wants to return, he will return. Bruno Fernandes, the vice-captain, called Ronaldo the team's "greatest symbol" and urged people not to take sides. Ronaldo's sister Elma Aveiro attacked the federation on Instagram, and fans rallied outside FPF headquarters.

Ronaldo gave his version on the evening of 6 October in a statement of about 2,000 words on Instagram. He said Jesus had told him he would play about 30 minutes in Oslo and then left him on the bench. He also said Jesus had agreed to read an eight-point clarification at a press conference, which did not happen as promised. In his account, the coach had broken his word twice. He also revealed he had written a retirement letter after the 2026 World Cup and that Proença had talked him out of it. He apologised to team-mates and supporters and called himself solely responsible for leaving. He asked the FPF to punish him without leniency, saying that as captain his position counted against him. He said he was not retiring and would be available again after any suspension, if fit and playing for his club. Asked on 7 October, Jesus said only that he had read the statement and was going to work on the team. The Daily Mail separately reported that Ronaldo would not return while Jesus was in charge. That report conflicts with Ronaldo's own published position, and neither side has confirmed it.

Why exactly was Ronaldo suspended, and by whom?

The official communiqué says the case examines whether facts reported to the Disciplinary Council on 7 October 2026 are disciplinarily relevant. It does not say who reported them. Under Article 160 of the FPF Disciplinary Regulation, as quoted by A Bola and RTP, a player who has been properly called up and abandons or fails to attend national-team activity without justification faces one to six months' suspension. Professionals can also be fined 5 to 10 account units (UC), about €510 to €1,020 at €102 per unit. Paragraph 2 of the same article makes the suspension automatic as soon as a player is absent or walks out. That means Ronaldo was suspended from 30 September onward, before any case was opened. The 9 October decision turned that automatic measure into a non-automatic preventive suspension. It will last until the case is decided. The council gave the case urgent status. On 10 October it sent the file to the FPF's Disciplinary Investigation Commission (Comissão de Instrução Disciplinar) and excluded publicity until the investigation ends, so no progress reports are expected. The measure is not a punishment in itself. Lawyer Gonçalo Almeida, a judge on FIFA's football tribunal, told A Bola that the time already served counts toward any final sanction.

How long could the ban be?

The regulation sets a range of one to six months. A Bola's analysis points to Article 244: a full and unreserved confession halves both limits, and Ronaldo has admitted the walkout publicly. If the council accepts that as a confession, the minimum would fall to 15 days and a €255 fine. Being captain is an aggravating factor. A clean disciplinary record and services to football count in his favour. There is little case law. The best-known precedent is Ricardo Carvalho, who was banned from all national-team activity for a year in 2011 after leaving a training camp. Flashscore and A Bola calculated two scenarios counted from 30 September. A one-month ban would end on 30 October, before the November matches. A six-month ban would run to 30 March 2027 and would keep him out of the March quarter-finals. The ban covers only the national team. Ronaldo returned for Al-Nassr on 9 October, the day the case was opened, and scored his 980th career goal in a 3-0 Saudi Pro League win over Al-Diriyah. He holds Portugal's records of 234 caps and 146 goals (dpa).

What happens next for Portugal and Ronaldo?

Portugal have won all four of their Group A4 matches: 1-0 against Wales in Lisbon, 2-1 in Oslo, 4-2 in Copenhagen and 2-1 against Norway in Porto. Gonçalo Ramos scored in all three games Ronaldo missed. The remaining fixtures are Portugal v Denmark in Braga on 14 November and Wales v Portugal in Cardiff on 17 November. The quarter-finals follow in March 2027 and the finals in June 2027. On 10 October Proença said the federation, the coach and the players all want Ronaldo back, and that he expects him to return in the November window. Two things have to happen first: the Disciplinary Council has to rule, and Jesus has to pick him. The communiqué gives no date for a decision. It also sets out no appeal procedure, and with no sanction yet imposed there is nothing to appeal. Ronaldo has publicly asked to be punished, so it is unclear whether he would contest the ruling.

Timeline: 27 Sep, unused substitute in Oslo. 29 Sep, trains alone in the hotel gym. 30 Sep, leaves the camp in Copenhagen; automatic suspension under Art. 160(2). 1 Oct, Portugal win 4-2 in Denmark. 4 Oct, Portugal win 2-1 against Norway and qualify; Jesus says Ronaldo can return. 6 Oct, Ronaldo's statement. 7 Oct, facts reported to the Disciplinary Council. 9 Oct, case opened, preventive suspension, urgent status. 10 Oct, file sent to the investigation commission; Proença expects Ronaldo back in November. 14 and 17 Nov, final group games against Denmark and Wales.