Ronaldo is the captain of Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to feature in Portugal’s opening match at next summer’s World Cup, despite receiving a red card in the qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.
The 40-year-old forward was sent off for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea during Portugal’s 2-0 loss earlier in November 2025.
Under normal circumstances, violent conduct would trigger a three-match suspension. However, disciplinary officials opted to suspend two of the games for a year, allowing Ronaldo to remain available for the tournament.
BBC Sport reports that leniency was granted partly because this was Ronaldo’s first red card in 226 international appearances, a remarkable record that weighed heavily in his favour.
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He has already served the mandatory one-match ban by missing Portugal’s fixture against Armenia on November 16, 2025, meaning he will not sit out any World Cup matches in the United States.
FIFA issued a warning in its ruling, stating: “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.”
All 48 participating nations will discover their group-stage opponents when the World Cup draw is conducted live on Friday, December 5, 2025.
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