The U.S. men’s national team will reportedly host Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in a March friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, according to The Athletic’s Adam Crafton and Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre.
Along with the match against the No. 6-ranked Portugal, the U.S. Soccer Federation is also finalizing plans to face No. 8 Belgium in March, two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium may also be the venue for the match against Belgium, with the Washington D.C. area reportedly also being considered as an option.
According to The Athletic, both matches are contingent on Portugal and Belgium not needing a playoff to qualify for the World Cup. Portugal won its first qualifier over Armenia and has five matches to play in Group F. Belgium is currently tied for second in Group J with 10 points with four matches remaining.
The March international window is the final one for qualified World Cup teams before they have to submit their 26-player rosters ahead of the June 11 start date for the tournament.
The USMNT has played only once at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, falling 2-1 to Panama during the 2024 Copa América group stage in June of last year.
Ronaldo has not played a match in the U.S. in over a decade. When Real Madrid faced Manchester United at Michigan Stadium in August 2014, Ronaldo came on as a substitute. Two months prior, he played 65 minutes during a 5-1 win over Ireland at MetLife Stadium.
