CRISTIANO RONALDO is at risk of missing Portugal’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup after receiving a straight red card on Thursday.
The legendary forward was playing in Portugal‘s World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland when he got into a tussle with Ipswich Town defender Dara O’Shea.
Ronaldo, 40, was initially given a yellow card after lashing out and striking his opponent in the back with an elbow.
But referee Glenn Nyberg upgraded the card to a straight red after being sent to the monitor by VAR.
While that card will certainly rule him out from Portugal‘s final qualifier against Armenia on Sunday, it could also have implications for their opening game of the tournament proper.
Red cards in international football can be upgraded to a multiple-game suspension at the discretion of a disciplinary committee.
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And given the violent nature of his sending off, it would not be surprising to see that discretion used to turn his sending off into a two-game ban.
In that event, and presuming Portugal secure automatic promotion by securing a result against Armenia, then Ronaldo would also miss the opening game of the World Cup.
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His antics outside of the match’s action won’t have done him any favours when the incident is looked back upon either.
Just hours before kick-off in Dublin, Ronaldo had ironically promised to be a “good boy” on his return to the Irish capital.
He said: “I really like the fans here. The support they give to their national team is lovely.
“For me, it’s a pleasure to play here again, I hope they don’t boo me too much tomorrow – I swear that I’m going to try to be a good boy.”
There is existing bad blood between the icon and Ireland for reasons that both sides struggle to articulate.
Ireland captain Nathan Collins for example said he “doesn’t know” why Ronaldo celebrated Ruben Neves’ late winner for Portugal in front of Jake O’Brien’s face when the teams met in October.
The Al-Nassr striker had a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher in the game in Lisbon, before Neves scored a 91st-minute header to hand Roberto Martinez‘s side a 1-0 win.
He also bizarrely called for the stadium to “boo” him again.
He was jeered every time he touched the ball in the 2021 goalless draw between the two sides in the same ground.
While winking, he added: “I repeat, I hope that no [one] boo[s] again against me tomorrow.
“It will take the pressure off other players. What I want most is to enjoy myself. It’s not decisive but we know that with a victory, we qualify. We want to finish it off now.”
If he was going for ‘good boy,’ he missed the mark by some distance.
Ronaldo faux cried towards O’Shea for his reaction to the jab in the back, before sending the ref and the home crowd a sarcastic clap and double thumbs up after being shown red.
He then seemed to exchange heated words with Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson on his way off the field.
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Missing even a single game at the tournament would come at an especially heartbreaking time for the forward considering it will be his last opportunity to win more silverware with his country.
Ronaldo confirmed midweek that the 2026 showpiece will be his last, with the 40-year-old set to make more history with a record sixth World Cup competition, alongside Lionel Messi.
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