Portugal Qualified But Ronaldo Could Still Face FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Bans: Here's Why

Portugal cruise to FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 9-0 win over Armenia, but Cristiano Ronaldo risks a multi-match ban that could see him miss group games next year.

Check out why Portugal might be without Ronaldo for a few games at the World Cup

Source : X, @FIFAWorldCup

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Portugal thrashed Armenia 9-0 to directly qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves scored hattricks, powering the team to solid victory. Interstingly, they did so without their star player - Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, what's worth noting is that he could be missing more matches for the side, that too at the coveted tournament next year due to a particular incident that happened during Portugal's World Cup Qualifier encounter against Ireland. 

Why Ronaldo Could Miss Some FIFA World Cup 2026 Matches

Cristiano Ronaldo was shown a Yellow Card when he appeared to have elbowed Ireland's Dara O'Shea. Following a VAR check, the referee turned that into a straight Red Card, sending him off.

Since 'CR7' was shown a direct Red, this could potentially lead to a multiple match ban for the prolific goal scorer. Moreover, these 'match bans' only consider competitive matches, which means that a player cannot exhaust their suspensions in friendly fixtures.

With a direct qualification for Portugal, their next competitive match will be right at the FIFA World Cup next year. Therefore, if Cristiano Ronaldo gets banned for multiple matches due to the straight Red Card against Ireland, he could miss Portugal's inital matches at the World Cup.

Having said that, exactly how the situation pans out remains to be seen.

Ronaldo On The Cusp Of New World Cup Record

Cristiano Ronaldo will be the joint-first player in the history of football to appear in six consecutive FIFA World Cups.

The other player, his eternal rival and winner of the previous edition, Lionel Messi. 

Both have been appearing at World Cups since 2006. Furthermore, Ronaldo could be the first-ever player to score at 6 different editions of the tournament, if he nets one next year.

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