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Portugal’s long-time talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was asked to walk off after he was shown a red card for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea in the second half of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier on Thursday night. As a result of this, the 40-year-old is now in some serious danger of being banned for the first game of the World Cup if Portugal ends up qualifying for the tournament.
Speaking of the incident, Ronaldo had spun around, swinging his right elbow into the back of O’Shea’s back. This led to the referee issuing a red card but minutes later, it was upgraded to a red after a video review at the pitchside monitor.
Upon being sent off, Ronaldo curled his lips in a wry look as he walked off the field, being jeered and mocked by the Irish fans. He then stopped and looked at the fans, clapping his hands and raising two thumbs up in an apparent sarcastic gesture towards the crowd.
Speaking of the qualifying contest, Ireland ended up registering a surprise 2-0 win over Portugal.
It is worth mentioning that this was the first time Ronaldo had been shown a red card in senior international football, and it came after 225 appearances for Portugal. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has received 12 red cards in his senior career till now, with the last one before the qualifying match coming for Al Nassr against Al Hilal last year.
Ronaldo will now serve a mandatory one-game ban for any red card when Portugal takes on hosts Armenia on Sunday. If Portugal wins this contest, then the side will secure a place at the FIFA World Cup, set to be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
What do the FIFA rules say?
According to the FIFA disciplinary rules, the judges are required to impose a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play.” The ban should be “at least three matches for violent conduct” or “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing.”
The FIFA ban applies to competitive games and cannot be served in pre-tournament exhibition games. Hence, this is why Ronaldo is at risk of missing Portugal’s World Cup opener if the team qualifies for the tournament next year.
Ronaldo has already stated that he aims to play in a record sixth World Cup tournament next year. The competition’s draw will take place on December 5 in Washington DC.
Speaking of qualifying, Portugal are currently at the top of Group F with 10 points, two ahead of Hungary. Ireland are third with seven points.
