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Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for Portugal in the loss to the Republic of Ireland in November; the Portugal captain has been given a three-match ban but two of those games are suspended for one year; Ronaldo will play at the start of Portugal's World Cup so long as he does not reoffend Tuesday 25 November 2025 17: 42, UK Cristiano Ronaldo is set to avoid a ban for the start of Portugal's World Cup campaign despite his red card against the Republic of Ireland. A FIFA disciplinary committee has imposed a three-match ban, but the final two games are suspended for one year provided there is no similar infringement during the probation period. Ronaldo was shown a red card after appearing to swing an elbow at Ireland defender Dara O'Shea during a World Cup qualifier earlier this month. He has already served the one-match suspension, in Portugal's final qualifier against Armenia. Should Ronaldo commit another offence of a similar nature, 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. A FIFA statement said: "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.
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"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. " The decision comes days after Ronaldo attended a black tie dinner at the White House alongside US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Washington on December 5 at 5pm UK time (12pm local time). Trump will join Infantino at the John F Kennedy Center - a performing arts venue where Trump is chairman - to decide the group stage fixtures. Announcing the draw venue at the White House in August, Trump said the World Cup was "the biggest event in sports", while Infantino declared the 104 matches would be like "104 Super Bowls". The full fixture list with group games and kick-off times will be available after the draw, but FIFA has already announced key dates and confirmed that the opening match will be held in Mexico City. The final will take place at the New York-New Jersey (Met Life) Stadium - home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. Group stage: June 11-27 Round of 32: June 28 to July 3 Round of 16: July 4-7 Quarter-finals: July 9-11 Semi-finals: July 14-15 Third-place play-off ('Bronze final'): July 18 Final: July 19 Super 6 are starting the season by guaranteeing a £1, 000, 000 winner! Play for free.
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