Cristiano Ronaldo avoids World Cup ban as FIFA grants Portugal captain ‘probationary period’ – The Athletic
Cristiano Ronaldo has avoided a suspension for the start of next summer’s World Cup after FIFA handed the Portugal captain a three-match ban, with the final two games suspended for “a one-year probation period”.
Ronaldo, 40, was sent off in Portugal’s penultimate World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on November 13 for swinging an elbow at defender Dara O’Shea in an off-the-ball incident.
He was initially shown a yellow card, but this was upgraded to a red after the video assistant referee (VAR) recommended a pitch-side review.
The red card meant Ronaldo would automatically serve a one-game ban, ruling him out of Portugal’s final World Cup qualifier against Armenia, but the suspension was extended by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, who deemed the offence worthy of a longer three-game ban.
However, the committee ruled that the final two matches of Ronaldo’s extended ban would be suspended “under a one-year probation period”, meaning he will avoid missing any further fixtures provided he does not commit “another infringement of a similar nature”.
FIFA’s regulations state that any suspensions in qualification matches would carry over to the final competition.
Ronaldo made a mock crying gesture in the direction of the Ireland fans before his sending off (Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
A FIFA statement to The Athletic read: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a three-match ban on Cristiano Ronaldo following his direct red card at the FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminary competition match between the Republic of Ireland and Portugal played in Dublin on 13 November 2025. The first of the three matches was served in the encounter Portugal v. Armenia played on 16 November 2025.
“In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the serving of the two remaining matches has been suspended under a one-year probation period.
“If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately at the next official match(es) of the Portuguese representative team.
“This is without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new infringement. The three-match suspension is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee.”
Ronaldo’s sending off marked the first red card of his 226-game international career, and sources with knowledge of the situation indicated this disciplinary record at international level was a factor taken into consideration by the committee when determining the length of his suspension.
In FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, Chapter 2, Article 14(i) states: “Players and officials shall be suspended for misconduct as specified below … at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting or hitting an opponent or a person other than a match official”.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez defended his captain following the sending off and described it as “harsh”.
“He’s just a captain that has never been sent off before in 226 games, so I think that deserves credit,” Martinez said.
“Today, I think it was a bit harsh, because he cares about the team. He had 60 minutes being grabbed, being pulled, being pushed.
“Obviously when he tries to get away from the defender, the action looks worse than it actually is. I don’t think it’s the elbow, I think it’s the full body. But from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow.”
Ronaldo has confirmed the 2026 World Cup is set to be his last and speaking in November, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he expected to retire “soon”.
Last week, Ronaldo attended a black-tie dinner at the White House alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and dozens of billionaires and business leaders. Next summer’s World Cup will be held in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
