FIFA face legal battle from disgruntled nations as Ronaldo allowed to play at World Cup

Martin Macdonald

• 28 Nov 2025 08:00 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

FIFA could face legal action after their decision to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to play the first two matches of the 2026 World Cup.

In Portugal's penultimate World Cup qualifier a couple of weeks ago, Ronaldo was given a straight red card against Ireland for elbowing defender Dara O'Shea.

FIFA’s disciplinary code states that an offending player should serve "at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting or hitting an opponent or a person other than a match official."

Article 27 of the code states that a FIFA judicial committee can "fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure."

Ronaldo was given a three-match ban and sat out the next game, a 9-1 drubbing of Armenia which took place while he was meeting United States president Donald Trump, a close friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

He was set to miss Portugal's first two matches of the World Cup, but in an unprecedented move, FIFA has suspended the next two matches of the ban for a year and they only apply to competitive fixtures.

There were accusations of preferential treatment for one of the game's superstars as the decision has received almost universal criticism.

It seems like the saga is far from over, however, as the Daily Mail reports that FIFA could face legal action from nations who could face Portugal in the World Cup group stage.

The draw takes place next Friday, and any nation that is drawn against Portugal can complain to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that Ronaldo's inclusion impacts their ability to qualify to the knockout stage.

The initial statement from FIFA read: "In line with article 27 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, the serving of the two remaining matches has been suspended under a one-year probation period.

"If Cristiano Ronaldo commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension set out in the disciplinary decision shall be deemed automatically revoked and the remaining two matches must be served immediately at the next official match(es) of the Portuguese representative team.

"This is without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for the new infringement."

Ronaldo is still Portugal's main man

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has revealed why Ronaldo is still a guaranteed starter for his country at 40 years of age.

"I think everyone has an opinion," Martinez explained on Sky Sports. "When we win, and Cristiano scores the goal or the two goals, the question in the press is: ‘What are you going to do when Ronaldo’s not there? The team depends on Cristiano too much.’

"When he doesn’t score, it’s: ‘How are you going to win when you’ve got a 40-year-old in the team?’ For us, it’s easier than that. He plays because he’s scored 25 goals in the last 13 games.

"His record is incredible. When he walks into the training camp, he’s an example of professionalism. He looks after himself and uses every day to become better. And then he’s got that pride of playing for the national team. He’s the only player in history to play 227 games.

"It goes down to his behaviour now. Nobody has anything given to them. Every player has an incredible competitive edge, and what Cristiano brings, alongside that goal scoring, is his attitude.

"He’s hungry for the national team, and while he has that, it’s an incredible source of positive, contagious effect in the dressing room. Everyone gets constantly challenged by the competition in the squad. At the moment, Cristiano is a reference to us."

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store