- Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in Portugal’s opening World Cup matches after FIFA reduced a three-match ban.
- Ronaldo received the ban for a red card during a World Cup qualifying match against Ireland.
- FIFA has imposed a one-year probation instead of the final two matches of the suspension.
- The 2026 World Cup will be Ronaldo’s sixth and final appearance for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play in Portugal’s opening matches of the World Cup next year after being handed a favorable suspension from FIFA in response to a recent red card.
Ronaldo, 40, didn’t finish Portugal’s second-to-last World Cup qualifying match against Ireland earlier this month after receiving a red card for delivering an elbow to the back of Dara O’Shea. Ronaldo also had to miss Portugal’s final qualifying match, a 9-1 win over Armenia on Nov. 16 to secure a berth in the 2026 World Cup, as a result.
FIFA confirmed at the time that Ronaldo had been given a three-match ban for the red card against Ireland, but soccer’s governing body announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25, that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star would no longer have to serve the final two matches of the suspension. FIFA has instead imposed a one-year probation, citing an article in the FIFA Disciplinary Code that allows the organization to ‘fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.’
The ruling will allow Ronaldo to play for Portugal when group play begins at the World Cup in June. The 2026 World Cup draw is scheduled to be held on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
‘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,’ FIFA said in a statement.
The red card was upgraded from an initial yellow card after a VAR check. It was Ronaldo’s first in 226 international appearances for Portugal, according to Reuters.
This will be Ronaldo’s sixth and final World Cup appearance for Portugal, he said earlier this month. Ronaldo holds the record for most international goals (143), despite never winning soccer’s most coveted trophy. He has played the past three years for Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League.
FIFA announced its decision six days after Ronaldo met with United States President Donald Trump at the White House during a dinner for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
