Cristiano Ronaldo has escaped a ban for the beginning of Portugal’s 2026 World Cup campaign after picking up a red card against the Republic of Ireland.
According to reports, a FIFA disciplinary committee has imposed a three-match ban, with the final two games suspended for one year, provided there is no similar infringement during the probation period.
Ronaldo was given a red card after swinging an elbow at Ireland defender Dara O’Shea during a World Cup qualifier earlier in November.
The Portuguese legend has already served a one-match suspension in Portugal’s final qualifier against Armenia.
If Ronaldo commits another offence similar to the recent one, the two matches will be automatically activated for the next official matches for the Portugal national team, which are set to be the opening two World Cup group games.
“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,” FIFA said in a statement.
The development means that the 40-year-old will be available to play in the opening game at next year’s tournament.
