Red card in the test match
Punch in the face: Portugal star faces World Cup ban
June 7, 2026 – 9:43 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Because he hit an opponent in the face, Rafael Leão was thrown off the field in the World Cup test. This could even have consequences for the tournament.
Rafael Leão was sent off the pitch for assault in the Portuguese national team’s friendly against Chile (2-1). The AC Milan winger was shown a red card shortly before half-time because he pushed his opponent Ivan Morales several times in a pack formation and then brought him to the ground with a blow to the face. The 26-year-old is now even threatened with a ban from the World Cup.
In the case of suspensions due to serious foul play or assault, the suspension can be extended beyond test and friendly games to include official competition games. In Leão’s case that would be the World Cup. The Fifa Disciplinary Commission, which has a lot of discretion, will decide on the punishment.
Locked for final test
However, Leão is definitely suspended for the final World Cup preparation game against Nigeria on Wednesday. His opponent also saw a red card from Italian referee Luca Zufferli after the scuffle.
The World Cup co-favorites, in which Cristiano Ronaldo was in the starting line-up, were highly superior, but were repeatedly defeated by the strong Chilean goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux from Swansea City. Leão had the Portuguese’s best opportunity before he was sent off, but his shot hit the post (9′).
After the break, Goncalo Guedes from Real Sociedad (58′) and Manchester United’s midfield director Bruno Fernandes (75′) scored the goals for Portugal, while Lucas Cepeda from FC Elche scored the final score for Chile (90’+2).
Portugal will face DR Congo in the opening game of the World Cup (June 17th), then Uzbekistan (June 23rd) and Colombia at the end of the group (June 28th). Chile, on the other hand, clearly missed out on qualifying for the finals as they came last in the South American qualifiers.