How many World Cup games could Ronaldo miss? | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo could miss Portugal’s opening World Cup games after being sent off for violent conduct in Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

The 40-year-old forward, who confirmed this will be his sixth and final World Cup before retiring, received the first red card of his Portugal career after elbowing defender Dara O'Shea off the ball.

Portugal now need at least a draw against Armenia on Sunday to secure top spot in their qualifying group, ahead of Hungary and Ireland, who face off for a play-off place.

A red card in World Cup qualifying triggers an automatic one-match suspension, though FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee could extend the ban to up to three games.

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Red cards in World Cup qualifying automatically result in a one-match suspension, though the punishment can be extended to up to three games, pending review by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.

Under FIFA rules, any ban issued in qualifying carries over into the main tournament and cannot be served in friendly matches.

That means, unless Portugal are forced into the play-offs, Ronaldo could miss the opening two games of the World Cup if the disciplinary panel decides to impose a longer suspension.

Flashpoint with Hallgrimsson

The incident occurred after Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson had urged officials to be firm with Ronaldo. The Portugal captain was initially shown a yellow card, but VAR recommended a review, leading referee Glenn Nyberg to upgrade it to red.

Ronaldo reacted angrily, remonstrating with Hallgrimsson as he left the pitch. After the match, the Ireland coach said:

“It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card. It had nothing to do with me – unless I got into his head. This was just a moment of a little silliness from him, I would say.”