Cristiano Ronaldo, who received a red card in the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Qualification Group, will be able to play in the group matches of next year’s World Cup.
In the statement made by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, it was stated that the Portuguese star was given a 3-match suspension due to the red card he received in the Republic of Ireland match in the 5th week of Group F.
It was emphasized that Ronaldo served the 1-game part of this punishment by not being able to play against Armenia, which was the last match of the group, and the 2-game part of the punishment was postponed for one year.
FIFA underlined that the decision was not canceled but only postponed and said, “If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another violation of a similar nature and severity during the trial period, the penalty specified in the disciplinary decision will be automatically canceled and the remaining two matches will be completed immediately in the next official match of the Portuguese representative. This does not prejudice the additional sanctions to be applied due to the new violation.”
Ronaldo received a red card after elbowing Irish defender Dara O’Shea in the back during the 2-0 defeat of Portugal.