Good news for fans of Cristiano Ronaldo - the Portuguese icon will be available from the very start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His suspension has officially been reduced to just one match.

The red card he received against Ireland was initially expected to keep him out of the early stages of the World Cup finals, as UEFA regulations stipulate a three-game ban for aggressive conduct.

However, as reported by BBC Sport, the appeals committee took into account the exceptional nature of the incident: it was Ronaldo’s first red card in 226 appearances for the national team. As a result, the punishment was softened to a single match.

That suspension has already been served — he missed the game against Armenia on 16 November — meaning there is now no threat to his participation in the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA’s official statement clarified: “In line with article 27 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, the serving of the two remaining matches has been suspended under a one-year probation period. 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. This is without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new infringement.”