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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already delivered plenty of drama, and players must be careful to stay on the right side of the referee as the tournament progresses.
A red card can have major consequences during the group stage, with any player sent off left facing an automatic suspension for their country's next match. That can leave teams without key players at a crucial point in the competition.
The Sporting News is tracking every red card shown at the 2026 World Cup, with a full list of dismissals from the tournament below.
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How many red cards have been shown at the 2026 World Cup?
A total of seven players have been sent off at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
Dismissals can be issued for offences such as serious foul play, violent conduct, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity or receiving two yellow cards in the same match. However, one of the tournament's most talked-about rule changes means players can be shown straight red cards for covering their mouths during confrontations with opponents. We saw this with Paraguay's Miguel Almiron against Turkey.
Every red card results in an automatic suspension, meaning teams can quickly find themselves without key players during the race to reach the knockout stages.
Players shown a red card during World Cup 2026
| Date | Player | Team | Opponent | Minute | Offence |
| June 11 | Sphephelo Sithole | South Africa | Mexico | 49' | DOGSO (denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity) |
| June 11 | Themba Zwane | South Africa | Mexico | 84' | Violent conduct |
| June 11 | Cesar Montes | Mexico | South Africa | 90+2' | DOGSO (denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity) |
| June 18 | Homam Ahmed | Qatar | Canada | 33' | DOGSO (denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity) |
| June 18 | Assim Madibo | Qatar | Canada | 53' | Serious foul play |
| June 19 | Tarik Muharemovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Switzerland | 80' | DOGSO (denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity) |
| June 19 | Miguel Almiron | Paraguay | Turkey | 45+3' | Covering mouth while confronting opponent |
| June 21 | Nathan Ngoy | Belgium | Iran | 67' | DOGSO (denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity) |
Fewest and most red cards at a World Cup all-time
Red cards have produced some of the World Cup's most memorable moments, from controversial dismissals to costly suspensions that changed the course of a tournament.
The fewest red cards shown at a World Cup in the modern era came in 2018 and 2022, with just four players sent off across 64 matches in each tournament.
At the other end of the scale, the 2006 World Cup in Germany remains the most ill-disciplined edition on record, with 28 red cards issued during the competition.
The table below shows how every World Cup compares in terms of total red cards and dismissals per match.
| 1930 | 1 | 18 | 0.055 |
| 1934 | 1 | 17 | 0.056 |
| 1938 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 |
| 1950 | 1 | 22 | 0.043 |
| 1954 | 3 | 26 | 0.103 |
| 1958 | 3 | 35 | 0.079 |
| 1962 | 6 | 32 | 0.158 |
| 1966 | 5 | 32 | 0.135 |
| 1970 | 5 | 32 | 0.135 |
| 1974 | 5 | 38 | 0.116 |
| 1978 | 3 | 38 | 0.073 |
| 1982 | 5 | 52 | 0.088 |
| 1986 | 8 | 52 | 0.133 |
| 1990 | 16 | 52 | 0.235 |
| 1994 | 15 | 52 | 0.224 |
| 1998 | 22 | 64 | 0.256 |
| 2002 | 17 | 64 | 0.210 |
| 2006 | 28 | 64 | 0.304 |
| 2010 | 17 | 64 | 0.210 |
| 2014 | 10 | 64 | 0.135 |
| 2018 | 4 | 64 | 0.059 |
| 2022 | 4 | 64 | 0.0625 |
| 2026* | 7 | 37 | 0.189 |
*Ongoing
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