Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to feature in Portugal’s opening match at the FIFA World Cup 2026, despite the red card he received during the qualifier against the Republic of Ireland last month.
The Portugal captain was dismissed in the 61st minute of the 2–0 loss on 14 November, following a VAR intervention that upgraded an initial yellow card to red for an alleged off-the-ball elbow on defender Dara O’Shea. The incident sparked debate, with Portugal coach Roberto Martinez publicly backing his star forward and calling the decision “harsh”.
Martinez stressed that the 39-year-old’s exemplary disciplinary record should be taken into account.
“He has never been sent off in 226 international games, which speaks volumes,” Martinez said. “He was being held and pushed, and the replay made the contact look much worse than it was. I don’t think it’s an intentional elbow.”
Under normal circumstances, a straight red card carries a three-match ban. However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the second and third matches for a one-year probation period due to Ronaldo’s clean record. Having already missed the following qualifier against Armenia on 16 November, his suspension is now considered served — ensuring he will be available for the United States-based tournament next summer.
FIFA added in a statement that the remaining suspended ban would be reinstated if Ronaldo commits a similar offence during the probationary period.
Ronaldo was outstanding throughout Portugal’s qualification campaign, scoring five goals and helping the former champions top Group F to secure their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance. Attention now turns to the final tournament draw, scheduled for Friday, 5 December, when all 48 qualified teams will learn their group-stage opponents.
