Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez face off in what could be their final World Cup match

Two of the most decorated footballers of their generation will walk onto the pitch in 2026 knowing that time, the one opponent nobody beats, is catching up. Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez are set to lead Portugal and Colombia in what could be the final World Cup appearance for both players.

Ronaldo will be 41 years old during the 2026 tournament. Rodriguez will be 34.

A first-ever World Cup meeting

Portugal and Colombia have never faced each other in a World Cup group stage before. The 2026 edition, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico, will feature an expanded format that has created matchups decades of tournaments never produced.

Rodriguez became a global sensation during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where his spectacular goals turned him into a household name overnight. A 2026 appearance at 34 would likely serve as his curtain call on the biggest stage in football. Ahead of the tournament, Rodriguez has been fulfilling club duties in Major League Soccer.

The crypto angle neither player can escape

Ronaldo has maintained an ongoing partnership with Binance since 2022, producing multiple NFT collections aimed at deepening fan engagement.

Rodriguez launched the JR10 Token back in May 2018, making him one of the earlier athletes to experiment with personalized crypto assets. That token has seen its market relevance decline significantly since its debut.

Unofficial meme coins tied to Ronaldo’s name saw a market cap peak of $143 million in 2025, driven largely by unverified rumors and speculative trading. These tokens have zero official connection to Ronaldo himself.

What this means for crypto investors watching the World Cup

Neither Ronaldo nor Rodriguez has announced new crypto projects specific to the World Cup, reflecting a broader trend around sports tokens focused on engagement rather than immediate market activity tied to specific events.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar happened during a brutal crypto winter, which muted the digital asset angle considerably. The 2026 edition arrives in a different market environment, one where NFTs have matured past their peak hype cycle and meme coins have become a permanent, if volatile, fixture of the crypto landscape.

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