What to know about World Cup red cards: How and why players get 'sent off'
The red card, a penalty action that serves as one of soccer's most recognizable symbols, has caused quite a stir at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
U.S. Men's National Team striker Folarin Balogun is now eligible to play in Monday night's round of 16 matchup against Belgium after previously being automatically suspended for one game as a result of the red card he received in the team's previous match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Balogun's suspension was later put on hold for a one-year probationary period -- a highly unusual move that drew criticism from the Belgian team and the Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he spoke with FIFA president Gianni Infantino prior to Balogun's suspension being lifted and asked him to review the red card ban.
Trump said the penalty, which Balogun received for landing on an opposing player's ankle, was "very unfair" and "wasn't a foul."
Red cards have long been a staple of the game and are typically not reviewable or eligible for appeal during the World Cup.
FIFA said Balogun's overturned suspension relies on Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows the organization to place the suspension in a yearlong probationary period.
So far, 13 red cards have been handed out this World Cup, a sharp increase from the four handed out four years ago.
How long have red cards existed in soccer?
The physical red card penalty has existed for over 50 years, though players have been ejected from games since the first World Cup in 1930, according to Guinness World Records.
According to The Athletic, the card system was introduced at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
How the card system works
Two different types of cards are used as a disciplinary tool in soccer, a yellow card and a red card.
A yellow card will be awarded by a referee for a number of reasons including "reckless challenge or foul," or if a player "argues with the referee or another match official" and more, according to the International Football Association Board, or IFAB, the regulatory body that publishes rules for international soccer competition.
Two yellow cards in a single game will result in a red card, according to IFAB.
A red card symbolizes a graver offense than a yellow card and results in the player being "sent off" the pitch, or field of play.
According to FIFA World Cup regulations, a red card automatically results in a suspension for the next game.
"If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed," FIFA's regulations state.
Has a player ever been sent off but not suspended in the World Cup?
In 1962, Brazilian star Garrincha was sent off from a match after a serious foul.
Because the card system -- and the automatic suspension associated with the red card -- was not yet implemented, Garrincha was able to play the following game, following deliberations between tournament officials and Brazilian politicians, according to Fox Sports. This appears to be the last instance of a non-suspension resulting from a send-off.
Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-game ban as a result of a red card in this year's World Cup qualifiers, and after serving one game of the suspension -- a pre-World Cup friendly match -- the remaining two-game penalty was suspended for a one-year probationary period, according to the Athletic.
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