Some expulsions were through straight red cards, others were due to the player picking up a second yellow card. Many were earned, many were deserved, some were controversial, some were consequential for a player’s team.
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Placido Galindo of Peru was the first to be carried out in 1930. Folarin Balogun of the United States men’s national team is the latest player to receive a red card in a World Cup match.
Take a look at some of the most notable red card incidents in 96 years of World Cup play.
Galindo earned ejection, but Carlos Cazaly really saw red
When Galindo left for Peru in 1930, the actual use of the card was not part of the replacement protocol. After several fights in the match against Romania, Galindo was asked to leave the field by referee Alberto Warneken.
Actual red and yellow cards were put into use in 1970, but the physical red card was not issued until 1974 when Cazaly saw the card picked up by referee Doğan Babacan. The Chilean forward made the tackle in response to West Germany’s Berti Vogts snatching the ball.
Jose Batista wasted no time in getting a farewell in 1986
It took very little time for Batista to enter the history books – 56 seconds to be exact.
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At the 1986 World Cup, the Uruguayan defender was sent off with a straight red card in the first minute of the group stage game against Scotland. The red came as a result of a dangerous tackle on Scotland midfielder Gordon Strachan, with the referee taking a moment before showing Batista a card.
Despite being down a player for almost the entire game, Uruguay held strong and finished with a 0–0 draw. Uruguay’s two draws were enough for the team to advance to the knockout rounds after finishing third in the standings, while Scotland did not advance.
Batista’s 56-second red card still stands as a World Cup record.
Gianluca Pagliuca becomes the first goalkeeper to receive a red card at the World Cup
Pagliuca made history of his own kind in 1994, becoming the first player to receive a red card during a World Cup game. In Italy’s second group stage game, against Norway, Pagliuca ran out of the box to defend and touched the ball with his hands, immediately being sent off for offence.
However, Italy managed to score a goal in the 69th minute and win the game. That group, Group E, finished with all four teams receiving four points, triggering a series of tiebreakers in which Norway finished last due to goal difference. Italy exited the group in third place after an unprecedented finish.
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Overall, only three goalkeepers have been sent off from the World Cup. In 2010, South Africa keeper Itumeleng Khune joined the list after cutting the leg of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez in the box; In 2022, Wales’ Wayne Hennessey became the third goalkeeper to be sent off after a dangerous high-leg collision with Iran’s Mehdi Taremi outside the box.
Yellow cards galore during the “Battle of Nuremberg”
No World Cup match has seen so many red cards than the Round of 16 meeting between the Netherlands and Portugal in 2006.
Russian referee Valentin Ivanov was busy during Cristiano Ronaldo’s side’s 1-0 win. Mark van Bommel received his first caution in the second minute of the match, giving a record 16 yellow cards and four red cards. Five minutes later, Khaled Boulahrouz earned the first of two yellow cards for a tackle that injured Ronaldo and ultimately led to his substitution in the 34th minute.
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Five yellow cards were given in the opening 45 minutes and Portugal’s Costinha received a second yellow card a minute before first-half stoppage time and was sent off.
Ivanov would not officiate any other matches in the tournament after being criticized by then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
In 2022, the Netherlands were again involved in a fiery match dubbed the “Battle of Lusail”, as they received 18 yellow cards in the quarter-finals against Argentina. Only one red card was given and that came after the penalty shootout, which was given to Argentina’s Denzel Dumfries for unruly conduct.
Luis Suarez plays goalkeeper for a brief moment
In 2010, Uruguay and Ghana were heading to penalties when Suárez gave the Black Stars a potential lifeline. With the score tied at 1–1 and the match entering the final moments of stoppage time in the second period of extra time, Dominic Adiaah’s header was cleared with his hands off the goal line by Suárez in a frenzied scramble in front of the Uruguayan net.
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Ghana were awarded a penalty and Suárez was shown red. But Ghana could not take advantage of the opportunity as Asamoah Gyan’s effort hit the cross bar.
Uruguay won the penalty shootout 4–2 and advanced to the semi-finals where they lost to eventual tournament runners-up the Netherlands.
Graham Poll and third yellow card
Two yellow cards equal a red card and a sending off. simple as that. That definition of the rule came to the mind of English referee Graham Pole during a match between Australia and Croatia in 2006.
In the 66th minute, with Croatia leading 2–1, Josip Simunic was issued a yellow card for a foul on Australia winger Harry Kewell. Thirteen minutes later, Kewell tied the game at two.
Referee Graham Pole sent off Croatia’s Josip Simunic (Croatia) for a second bookable offence.
(Nick Potts – PA Images via Getty Images)
As Croatia struggled to score the winning goal, Simunic was called for a foul in the 90th minute and the Pole issued him a second yellow card. The problem was that the Pole had written down the wrong name for Simunic’s second caution, forgetting that the farewell was in order.
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An ejection would eventually come for Simunic after the final whistle. The Croatian center back was given one third Yellow card by Pole for dissent. Of course, this was the second caution according to the Pole’s own record, which meant Simunic would ultimately receive a red card.
end of zidane
In the 2006 final between France and Italy, both teams were tied 1–1 in extra time. In the 110th minute, Zinedine Zidane countered and headbutted Italian center back Marco Materazzi’s chest.
Zidane and Materazzi remained stuck in the center of the field throughout the game and both were central to the outcome of the game. Zidane scored the first goal for France after missing a penalty kick in the seventh minute, while notoriously attacking player Materazzi equalized with his header 12 minutes later.
The two were jawing moments before Zidane was injured by a head-butt. And with Materazzi on the field, Zidane was shown a straight red card and sent off, leaving his team with 10 players for the remainder of the game. Italy won 5–3 in penalty kicks and earned their fourth World Cup title.
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This unfortunate decision would prove to be Zidane’s last in professional football. Before the 2005–06 season, Zidane had already announced that he would retire at the end of the year. And after the World Cup, Zidane confirmed that the shootout defeat would be his final game.
(Stu Forster via Getty Images)
Miguel Almiron becomes a common-sense answer under FIFA’s new rules
When Almiron and Turkiye’s Mert Mulder clashed after a foul during a 2026 group-stage match, the Paraguayan midfielder covered his mouth to avoid saying something to Mulder. This was immediately noticed by referee Ivan Barton, who issued Almiron a red card under a month-old FIFA rule.
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FIFA’s new law was inspired by the Champions League controversy when Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestieni of making racist comments towards him. Prestiani’s mouth was covered when he said something to Brazil Star, which Prestiani later alleged was not racist, but an anti-gay slur.
Prestiani was subsequently banned for six matches, with the suspension extended to cover the World Cup.
Starting with the 2026 World Cup, any player who covers his mouth to say something to an opponent during a confrontation will receive a red card.
Folarin Balogun’s red card is not subject to appeal
Balogun scored the USMNT’s opening goal during a 2–0 round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but was subbed off after 21 minutes.
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According to the FIFA rulebook, “If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (for a second yellow card), he or she will be automatically suspended from his or her team’s next match.” Rule 10.5 states that additional penalties can be added, for example a five-game suspension of Qatar’s Asim Madibo for breaking the leg of Canada’s Ismail Koné.
Multiple outlets have reported that per FIFA rules, there is no avenue of appeal for the U.S., and Balogun will miss Monday’s round of 16 match against Belgium.
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