FIFA has made Palm Beach Gardens the base of operations for Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal national team during the 2026 World Cup group stage, and reports now point to the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach as the hotel most likely to house them. The official hotel has not yet been announced, but the choice being discussed is already one of the most expensive and closely watched in Florida.
That is why Ronaldo is drawing attention now. On 15 June, he was seen in Palm Beach near the hotel, and a large crowd gathered around him. For a 41-year-old player who may be heading into his last World Cup, even a hotel decision has become part of the story.
Several Portuguese media outlets, including PortuGOAL, have identified the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach in Florida as the favored option. The resort has private beach access, luxury rooms and villas, a spa and a modern gym, with more than 200 rooms and suites. Its rooms and suites come with private balconies and ocean or garden views, which helps explain why it sits near the top end of the market. Nightly rates reportedly run from about 1,000 euros to more than 8,500 euros, or roughly 30.5 million VND to more than 259 million VND, depending on the room type and view.
There is also a practical reason the hotel keeps surfacing. The resort was used by Real Madrid as its base for the FIFA Club World Cup the previous year, and it is the only hotel in Palm Beach with both Five-Star Forbes Travel Guide status and Five Diamond AAA status. It is also about 7 km from Mar-a-Lago, placing Portugal’s potential base squarely in one of the most high-profile resort areas in the United States.
That comfort comes with a complication. Portugal’s coach Roberto Martínez and his players are expected to train at Gardens North County District Park, about 30 km away, where England prepared before Portugal arrived. The park covers more than 82 hectares and has 10 football fields, but the separation between training and lodging means the team’s daily routine will be split between two locations.
On the beach, the crowds already hinted at the security problem. Staff advised the team to return quickly to the hotel because complete social distancing could not be guaranteed in the open area, a reminder that Ronaldo brings a level of public attention few players still command. If the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach is finally confirmed, Portugal’s World Cup base will be as much about managing that attention as about luxury or convenience.
