Although Portugal comfortably secured their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 during the November international break, they still had a serious concern regarding Cristiano Ronaldo. The striker was shown a direct red card in the match against Ireland, creating a potential threat to his availability for next year’s tournament.
If he had received a suspension longer than one match, CR7 would have had no choice but to serve it during the group stage of the World Cup, as it is the next FIFA competition on the calendar.
However, he received excellent news this Tuesday. FIFA announced that Cristiano Ronaldo’s suspension will be for three matches, but with an important detail: two of them will be suspended on the condition that the Portuguese forward does not commit similar infractions during the course of one year.
“If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately at the next official match(es) of the Portuguese representative team,” the FIFA statement reads.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Martinez, Manager of Portugal.
This is also a relief for head coach Roberto Martinez, who can plan Portugal’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America knowing he will have his star player, captain, and all-time top scorer fully available. Ronaldo already served one match of his suspension during the November 16 clash between Portugal and Armenia, meaning he will be eligible to play in the World Cup from the first match, as long as he does not repeat a similar incident.
What’s next for Portugal ahead of World Cup 2026?
The start of the World Cup 2026 is getting closer. The next major milestone is the group-stage draw, which will take place on Friday, December 6, in Washington, D.C. There, Portugal will be one of the 12 top seeds thanks to their position at No. 6 in the FIFA Rankings.
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Once their group-stage opponents are known, Portugal will have only two matches remaining before head coach Roberto Martinez must select his 26-player roster. The March international break will be the last window for testing and adjustments, as only two friendlies will remain in the days leading up to the World Cup—at which point every national team will already have finalized its squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to claim a World Cup all-time record
With confirmation that his suspension will not prevent him from playing in the FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo now has an enormous motivation with the Portugal national team: to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup and become the first player to participate in six editions of the tournament.
In the same situation as Cristiano Ronaldo is Lionel Messi. Both have played in the same World Cups with Portugal and Argentina since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and barring any unfortunate setbacks, they are set to achieve something no other player has done before.
Two other active players could also be added to that list: Guillermo Ochoa and Andres Guardado. However, unlike Messi and Ronaldo, it is still unclear whether they will be included in Javier Aguirre’s roster for Mexico, meaning they could miss the opportunity to reach the record.
