FIFA reportedly forced to delete World Cup promotional poster after backlash from fans due to glaring Cristiano Ronaldo omission

World football governing body FIFA has been forced to delete one of its World Cup promotional posters after a backlash from fans for omitting Cristiano Ronaldo from the poster.

Preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, are well underway. So far, 42 nations have qualified for the next summer event, with six more spots still available across the European and intercontinental playoffs.

On Thursday, November 20, FIFA took to it's social media accounts to share a poster for the upcoming Mundial. The promotional poster, meant to promote the World Cup final draw, seemed to showcase the best players from each of the teams that have secured their spot at the tournament.

However, fans quickly spotted an error in the design. While the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland were featured on the poster to represent their respective countries, Ronaldo was omitted, with Bruno Fernandes used to represent Portugal instead.

This did not sit well with fans who lashed out at the design in the comments section. The outcry forced FIFA to delete the poster across it's social media accounts, Marca reported (via Bolavip).

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to lead Portugal to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which he has confirmed will be his last. However, the 40-year-old will not be available for A Selecao's first match at the tournament due to a ban for a red card received during a qualifying match against Ireland.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Wesley Sneijder picks who has a better chance of winning the 2026 World Cup between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Former Netherlands international Wesley Sneijder believes Cristiano Ronaldo has a better chance of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup ahead of Lionel Messi. He asserted that Portugal have a stronger team than Argentina and said:

"Portugal have a very strong team. For me they are one of the favourites so then I would say Cristiano Ronaldo has the stronger chance of winning the next World Cup compared to Lionel Messi."

Ronaldo and Messi will set a record of being the only two players to appear at six World Cup tournaments should they make the team to the 2026 edition with their respective countries.