Portugal’s captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, is now at risk of missing the start of the 2026 World Cup after being sent off during Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland.
The veteran forward, 40, initially received a yellow card in the 61st minute for an elbow on Ireland defender Dara O’Shea. However, after a VAR check, the referee upgraded it to a straight red, marking the first red card of Ronaldo’s international career across 226 appearances.
Under FIFA’s disciplinary rules, Ronaldo is set to serve a mandatory one-match suspension in competitive fixtures. The rules also specify that violent conduct can carry a punishment of “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing.”
This suspension can only be applied to official competitive games and cannot be fulfilled during warm-up friendlies before the tournament.