By Rorisang Modiba
- Ronaldo received a three-match ban but served only one, allowing him to remain eligible for the 2026 World Cup.
- Fifa warned that Ronaldo will face the remaining suspension if he repeats a similar offence within a one-year probation period.
Ronaldo holds on to his World Cup dream after escaping a full suspension from Fifa.
The 40-year-old striker was sent off earlier this month for elbowing Dara O’Shea during
Portugal’s 2-0 loss in Dublin. It was the first red card of his 226 international games.
Fifa gave him a three-match ban, but two matches were suspended for a year.
That means he only had to sit out one game, which Portugal served during their win over Armenia.
With that match done, Ronaldo is now cleared to play when the 2026 World Cup begins in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Fifa said in a statement shared with AFP that the suspended matches will return if Ronaldo commits “another infringement of a similar nature and gravity” during the probation period.
Ronaldo has scored 143 goals for Portugal and hopes to appear in his sixth World Cup. Despite his long career, he has never lifted the World Cup trophy. His biggest moment with Portugal came in 2016 when the team won the Euros.
He also attended a White House dinner recently, where US President Donald Trump said his son Barron is a big fan of the Portuguese star.
The World Cup group stage draw takes place on 5 December.
Pictured above: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Image source: @cristiano
