Cristiano's Red Card puts his debut in the 2026 World Cup at risk

The Portuguese National Team experienced a hard blow during its visit to Ireland. The team fell in a key Qualifying match and the in the 61st minute opened an unexpected scenario and that is that the captain could miss the first World Cup match if he receives a major sanction.

The incident occurred in the first minutes of the second half. Cristiano tangled with the Irish defender and ended up hitting him with his arm. The referee reviewed the play on the monitor and changed the initial decision, which sparked immediate concern in Portugal. The direct Red fell at the worst possible moment, just when the team was looking to mathematically secure its ticket to the World Cup.

Red for CR7: They catch him in the area, he scrambles and unleashes a Muay Thai elbow, tells his rival that he is a crybaby and goes home to rest.

This was the last game in Cristiano Ronaldo's history in the World Cup qualifications.

In the best scenario, Cristiano would only receive a one-match suspension and he would serve it against Armenia on Sunday, November 16. Portugal has the opportunity to qualify in that match and avoid the playoffs. If that happens, the sanction would be settled within the Qualifier itself and would not affect their participation in the World Cup.

Cristiano would complete one against Armenia and the second would not have space within the qualifying calendar. Portugal would no longer have a playoff if they win on Sunday, so their next official match would directly be their World Cup debut. This would open the possibility of the captain being left out of the first duel in Mexico-United States-Canada 2026.

The FIFA regulations for the World Cup are clear on this issue. Red cards shown in the Preliminary Phase do carry over to the Final Phase if the player still has pending punishment. Therefore, an expulsion like Cristiano's can be crossed from one competition to another without being annulled.

Portugal is now awaiting the arbitration report and the disciplinary resolution. Everything will depend on how many parties the Commission decides to impose. A simple red card leaves the way clear for Cristiano to play in the World Cup. A red card with an extended penalty changes everything.

Portugal is playing for qualification against Armenia and Cristiano is waiting for a verdict that could define his presence from the first day of the 2026 World Cup.