It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo will be on the pitch for every match as Portugal heads to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Tuesday, FIFA announced a three-game ban for Ronaldo’s red card in a November qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, but deferred two of those games under a one-year probation period.
Earlier this month, Ronaldo received a straight red for elbowing Dara O'Shea in a 2-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland. He served the mandatory one-match suspension during Portugal’s final qualifying game—a 9-1 win over Armenia that sealed their place at next summer’s World Cup.
FIFA cited its disciplinary rules to defer two matches of the suspension, a rare move for a three-game ban for violent conduct. This month, players from Armenia and Burundi both received full three-match bans after red cards for acts of aggression, with no probationary reduction.
Under the verdict, the suspended games will only take effect if Ronaldo commits a similar offense during his probationary period, which runs until November 2026. Portugal is set to play two friendlies in March 2026, and likely one or two warm-up games in late May or early June before the World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026, across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA also confirmed that the three-match suspension is subject to appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee, though it remains unclear which parties—if any—will seek to challenge the verdict ahead of next summer’s showpiece.
For fans and analysts around the world, the deferred ban means Ronaldo is poised to lead Portugal in what will be his record sixth World Cup, provided he keeps his discipline in check during the probationary period.
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Ronaldo set to avoid ban at World Cup after FIFA defers his punishment
cgtn.com
