FIFA Announces Disciplinary Action Against Cristiano Ronaldo

On Tuesday, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) issued a disciplinary decision against Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, suspending him for three matches, but with two of the matches suspended on a one-year probation. This means Ronaldo may not miss any matches for his country in the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Ronaldo had initially been set to miss matches for his national team in the World Cup after receiving a red card in a qualifier for elbowing a player from the Irish national team.
He already served a mandatory one-match suspension during Portugal’s dominant 9-1 victory over Armenia last week in European qualifiers, securing their spot in the World Cup.
Ronaldo was expected to face at least one more match suspension, which would have postponed his record sixth World Cup appearance to Portugal’s second match in the 2026 tournament.
The incident occurred when Ronaldo elbowed Irish defender Dara O’Shea during Portugal’s 2-0 loss in Dublin two weeks ago.