Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is at risk of being banned for the first game of the 2026 World Cup, if Portugal eventually qualify for the finals, after an ill-tempered end to the qualifier against Ireland.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea in the second half of a qualifying game that Portugal lost 2-0 in Dublin.
Ronaldo spun round and swung his right elbow into O’Shea’s back as they waited for the ball to be crossed around the hour mark at Aviva Stadium. The referee issued a yellow card but minutes later upgraded it to red after a video review at the pitchside monitor.
This was Ronaldo's 13th career red card but his first for Portugal.
Ronaldo, the men's all-time top goalscorer in international football, could miss the start of the World Cup if Portugal qualify, depending on the length of his ban.
The Al Nassr star will serve a mandatory one-game ban when Portugal host Armenia on Sunday knowing a win will secure a place at the World Cup in North America next year.
Fifa disciplinary rules require a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play.” The ban could be “at least three matches for violent conduct” or “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing”.
Ronaldo, who turns 41 in February, is aiming to play at a record sixth World Cup finals.
It completed a disappointing pair of matches for Ronaldo against Ireland, after he missed a penalty when the sides met in Portugal in October.
Ireland forward Troy Parrott had scored twice in the first half to revive Irish hopes of qualification likely through the playoffs ahead of facing second-place Hungary on Sunday.
Portugal top Group F with 10 points, two ahead of Hungary. Ireland are third with seven points.
France qualify
France reached the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine. Norway, meanwhile, were made to wait after Italy struck late in Moldova to prevent them from stamping their ticket to next year's tournament.
France's victory came in an emotionally-charged Parc des Princes, which observed a minute's silence to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris.
Most of the 130 people killed in the attacks lost their lives at the Bataclan concert hall in the capital, where they were attending a concert.
But one person died near the Stade de France as multiple explosions took place when suicide bombers attempted to enter the ground during a friendly between Les Bleus and Germany.
Didier Deschamps was the coach then and remains in charge now, with the approaching World Cup to be his final tournament before stepping down.
“Given the context tonight, we are pleased to have put some smiles on faces by securing qualification,” said Deschamps.
“We have fulfilled our objective. I understand that it is seen as normal that France qualify but we still had to go out and do it, so we are very proud.”
Second-half goals by Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise, as well as a first international strike for Hugo Ekitike, gave Deschamps' side an unassailable six-point lead over both Iceland, who beat Azerbaijan 2-0, and Ukraine at the top of Group D.
Meanwhile, despite romping to an Erling Haaland-inspired 4-1 win over Estonia, Norway will also have to wait until the final match day to seal their spot at the World Cup.
Forwards Alexander Sorloth and Haaland both netted doubles in the space of 12 second-half minutes earlier in Oslo, but the Norwegians had to wait on Italy's later match against Moldova before they could be certain of topping Group I.
The Moldovans looked to have done enough to send Stale Solbakken's side to the finals, until Gianluca Mancini struck on 88 minutes to send Italy on the way to a victory that kept their automatic qualification hopes alive.
