Cristiano Ronaldo may not play at the World Cup next summer, following Portugal's defeat to the Republic of Ireland.
Ireland beat Ronaldo's side 2-0 in Dublin, in a World Cup 2026 qualifier, thanks to a brace from Troy Parrott in a night to forget for CR7, as he was sent off for the first time for Portugal for swinging an elbow at Dara O’Shea.
The 40-year-old – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time – will play no part against Armenia next week in Porto – and may have even played his last competitive fixture in his home country, as a result.
Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is facing ban at international level
Ronaldo has played in five World Cups for Portugal, and recently told Piers Morgan that is “not a dream” to win the most prestigious prize in the sport next summer in North America.
That's just as well, because World Cup qualifying suspensions are carried into the tournaments proper: and though Ronaldo's red should only see the Al-Nassr striker miss one match, it may be upgraded due to violent conduct.
The Republic of Ireland fans reacting to Cristiano Ronaldo being sent off is the funniest thing you'll see all day 💀😂#StanSportAU #WCQ pic.twitter.com/u5fz6D9CMRNovember 14, 2025
FIFA's disciplinary code states that players could face an increased suspension of “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting or hitting an opponent”.
Referee Glenn Nyberg originally brandished a booking for the elbow before VAR stepped in, and now the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will decide on the severity of the incident and whether it merits a heftier punishment.
If found guilty of a three-match suspension, Ronaldo's first match will be next week's final qualifier, with the next two games coming at the World Cup next summer – assuming that Portugal don't compete in the play-offs in March.
And with each side only guaranteed three matches at the World Cup, Ronaldo could end up missing two-thirds of his last dance through suspension.
There is, of course, the small possibility that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee extend the ban even further, risking Ronaldo's entire presence at the competition… though FourFourTwo suspects he'll be just fine.
Should Portugal qualify for the World Cup, they'll obviously be one of the stronger nations, especially given the expansion of the World Cup to a 48-team tournament. It would seem unlikely for Roberto Martinez's side not to advance out of the groups ordinarily, and even less so next summer.
A three-match suspension is the worst-case scenario here – there's no confirmation of such thus far – and even if it is applied, Ronaldo would still feature in the knockouts for his country.
Should Portugal lose to Armenia next week, they will need the play-offs to qualify, with a three-match ban extending across those two games in March.
