Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to play Portugal’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup after FIFA handed the 40-year-old a suspended sentence for his violent conduct against the Republic of Ireland.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was facing a three-match ban for catching Dara O’Shea with his trailing elbow in Portugal’s 2–0 defeat at Aviva Stadium. The red card was the first of Ronaldo’s 23-year international career.
Except FIFA’s disciplinary committee commuted the sentence to a one game ban, with two more matches suspended under a year’s probation. Since Ronaldo already sat out of Portugal's 9–1 victory over Armenia, he has effectively served his ban.
The Real Madrid icon, therefore, is free to lead Portugal in the United States, Canada and Mexico from the start of the World Cup. There was growing discourse over Ronaldo’s place in the Portugal national team, given his age, but manager Roberto Martínez emphatically backed his captain, who he believes has the “biggest hunger” of any player in the world.
