Why Cristiano Ronaldo didn't play in Portugal's 9-1 win over Armenia in 2026 World Cup qualifier?

Ronaldo was shown a red card against Ireland in the previous game.

In the last match of their UEFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal faced Armenia in a winner-take-all battle.

The outcome will determine Portugal’s fate in the qualification for the mega competition. However, they must try to accomplish this important goal without their captain and best player.

Due to his dismissal for elbowing a rival during the previous encounter, a 2-0 loss to Ireland, Cristiano Ronaldo will be unable to participate in the final matchday against Armenia.

After playing for Portugal 226 times, Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card against Ireland was his first international dismissal.

Troy Parrott’s brace in the first half left Portugal with a 2-0 defeat. In the near future, Ronaldo’s red card might be pushed to a two-match suspension.

FIFA’s disciplinary committee will determine whether Cristiano Ronaldo should get any additional penalty, even though the red card automatically results in a one-match ban.

Why Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play in Portugal’s 9-1 win over Armenia?

Cristiano Ronaldo did not play against Armenia as FIFA has not yet released a formal declaration about the duration of his suspension; the captain can face an even worse disciplinary punishment.

A player sent off for “aggression, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting, or hitting an opponent” is subject to a mandatory three-match ban under the FIFA Disciplinary Code (Chapter 2, Article 14(i)).

If Portugal qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo might miss the opening game of the mega event if this penalty is implemented as a whole. He might also miss further games.

Portugal are still in charge of their own fate in terms of obtaining direct qualification. The best outcome would be a victory over Armenia, which would resolve all of their issues and remove the need to keep an eye on the outcome between Hungary and Ireland.

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