Cristiano Ronaldo could face a harsh sanction after being sent off in Portugal's 2-0 defeat to Ireland. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg showed 'CR7' a straight red card after reviewing on the monitor the elbow that the Portuguese player delivered to Dara O'Shea, with his team already down by two goals.
Ronaldo, in principle, received a yellow card for the aggression against the defender, while both were grappling inside the box. However, after the VAR's call, the main referee opted to send off the 40-year-old forward. Now, **Cristiano could receive at least a three-match ban**, which complicates his participation in the next World Cup
How many games would Cristiano Ronaldo miss with Portugal?
As it was an elbow without the ball being contested, Article 14, Paragraph 1 of FIFA's Disciplinary Code establishes a punishment of three matches "or an appropriate period of time". This will prevent the '7' from playing the last qualifying match against Armenia, as well as the first two matches of the World Cup group stage.
This, of course, provided Portugal secures direct qualification for the tournament next Sunday. The Portuguese host Armenia in Porto (3:00 PM CEST) with the obligation to win to secure the leadership of group F. In the other match in the zone, Hungary hosts Ireland knowing that a victory, coupled with a Portuguese defeat, would give them the World Cup spot.
In case Portugal had to rely on the playoffs to qualify, Cristiano would miss the hypothetical two matches of the UEFA playoffs, which will be played from Thursday, March 23 to Tuesday, March 31, 2026. There will be 16 teams vying for the last 4 spots, divided into 4 groups with knockout pairings (two 'semis' per group). Then there will be four finals to determine the qualified teams.
Cristiano could be left out of his last World Cup with Portugal
This scenario leaves 'CR7' in a complicated position heading into what will be his last World Cup. The forward already had a forgettable performance in Qatar 2022 and now even runs the risk of being eliminated from the tournament for the first time in his legendary career.
Portugal, however, should have no problem securing their qualification on Sunday against an Armenia that has won just one of five matches in the qualifiers. In the best-case scenario, **Ronaldo would have to watch the first two matches of his national team in the 2026 World Cup from the stands**, something that has never happened to him in his five previous tournament appearances.