It was a 2-0 defeat for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. Portugal was down to 10 men at the 61st minute as Ronaldo was sent off for a foul. This means Cristiano Ronaldo’s Red Card against Ireland could cost him a ban in the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches.
This was the fifth match for Portugal in their qualifying process to the World Cup 2026. A win was enough to guarantee them a direct place in the FIFA World Cup 2026, but Ireland had some different plans in the match. The Ronaldo red card now and a win by Ireland now gives three teams a chance to directly qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Portugal, Ireland, and Hungary.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Red Card against Ireland could cost him a ban in the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches
Portugal had already conceded twice before going to half-time. Troy Parrott, the old striker of AZ Alkmaar, scored both goals. First, he scored a header in the 17th minute of the match. Just before halftime, he again found the back of the net. Portugal went 2-0 into the half, and it was surely one of their worst performance under Roberto Martinez.
We were just 14 minutes into the second half. A ball came into the box, and Cristiano Ronaldo elbowed the Irish defender, Dara O’Shea. The referee straight away gave a yellow card, but later VAR interfered. Eventually, the referee went onto the monitor and turned his decision, and Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off. While going out, he had exchanged a lot of words with the Ireland boss, Heimir Hallgrimsson.
Now the question arises, Will Cristiano Ronaldo miss the matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the answer is, there are high possibilities. There is a minimum of a three-match ban for Ronaldo as per the FIFA rules. The discipline committee will have its say. If they give a three-match ban, then surely he will not play the next game against Armenia. If Portugal wins the match, then they get a direct qualification, and Ronaldo misses two group matches in the World Cup next year.
