Ronaldo to start as Jorge Jesus takes charge of Portugal for first time against Wales

Jorge Jesus has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will start as the 72-year-old takes charge of Portugal for the first time, against Wales in their opening Nations League match at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday.

It will be Portugal's first game since their last-16 World Cup exit at the hands of eventual champions Spain, a defeat that ended Roberto Martinez's three-year reign. Jesus was appointed as his successor on a four-year contract, taking him through to the 2030 World Cup.

Jesus and Ronaldo reunite

Jesus knows Ronaldo well, having managed him at Al-Nassr, where the pair won the Saudi Pro League title for the first time since Ronaldo arrived. Under Jesus in the 2025-26 campaign, Ronaldo scored 29 goals in 33 appearances, averaging a goal every 99 minutes. Only Carlo Ancelotti (1.22) and Jose Mourinho (1.13) at Real Madrid, and Luis Castro and Rudi Garcia at Al-Nassr (both 1.1), have presided over better league goals-per-game averages for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

At his unveiling, Jesus insisted Ronaldo "would never be a problem" for Portugal, and confirmed his plans for the Wales clash: "We have been in many situations of major competitions, such as the Champions League and the World Cup. I have never seen an audience with so many people. It's also good, football needs more and more agents to be shared with the national team and players.

"Today will be my first training on the field, because yesterday was a recovery session. And if nothing special happens, Cris will play tomorrow from the start."

Familiar foes and strong home record

This is the first meeting between Portugal and Wales since the semi-finals of Euro 2016, which the Selecao won 2-0 en route to lifting the trophy. Portugal are the reigning Nations League holders, having beaten Spain on penalties in the 2024-25 edition, and have won 11 of 14 home matches in the competition, losing only to France (November 2020) and Spain (September 2022).

After the World Cup defeat to Spain, Portugal will be eager to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since September and October 2014, when they were beaten by Albania and France.

Wales, meanwhile, arrive winless in their last four matches (D3 L1), their worst run under manager Craig Bellamy, and not since 2012 have they endured a longer winless start to a calendar year.

Defending the crown

Asked whether his focus was on the Nations League or the bigger picture of Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup, Jesus left no doubt: "I'm in a team that has the best players in the world. All goals are to win. And therefore, the first competition is the Nations League, and we are the holders of the title and, of course, we have to defend it."