The 2026 World Cup is set to be the biggest ever in the tournament's history, with 48 teams taking part and 104 matches being played in total in North America.
There's always plenty of drama on football's grandest stage and that will be the case again this summer, with plenty of talking points set to arise as each nation attempts to battle their way to the final in New Jersey.
With the stakes incredibly high, player discipline will be a crucial factor to any country's hopes. Red cards can be incredibly harmful, with players who are dismissed having to serve suspensions which can weaken any team. It plays a major part in who advances and who has to take the dreary and sad plane journey home, so any team dreaming of lifting the silverware at the MetLife Stadium will have to stay on the good side of the referees.
Here, GOAL has a look at the red card rules for the upcoming World Cup and how sending offs have shaped previous tournaments.
What is a red-card offence?
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The criteria for a red card is set out under the IFAB Laws of the Game, with six separate examples being listed as enough for a player to be sent off.
Serious foul play - that being a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force - is met with a red card, as is violent conduct, which includes examples like punching, head-butting or kicking.
The denial of a goalscoring opportunity, be it through deliberate handball or a tactical foul, can be met with a straight red, while using offensive language or crude gestures is met with the same outcome. Spitting and biting are also unsurprisingly red-card offences, while receiving two yellow cards will also result in a player's dismissal.
What is the punishment for a red card?
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Red cards result in various short and long-term consequences. The player is dismissed from the field of play and does not feature in the remainder of the match. They cannot be replaced by a substitute, meaning their team continue with one player fewer for the rest of the contest.
That footballer is then automatically suspended for the next match of the tournament, regardless of what stage of the competition it is. The situation is then assessed by FIFA's disciplinary committee, who can choose whether to increase the length of the suspension or issue a fine for serious offences like violent conduct.
If the red card is received in a team's final match at the tournament, the ban is carried over to their next official international match.
Can a red card be overturned?
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Players can be spared the red card and subsequent suspension if the video assistant referee believes the on-field referee has made a "clear and obvious error" in showing a straight red card. In that scenario, play is paused while the VAR advises the referee, who will go to a pitch-side monitor to review the footage of the incident. The referee can then amend their decision and decide to rescind or downgrade the card. The power for VAR to intervene on incorrect second yellow cards has also been introduced for the 2026 World Cup, whereas before players simply had to accept the decision.
If a player is sent off and the decision isn't overturned on the pitch, teams can submit appeals to FIFA's disciplinary committee to have the automatic suspension quashed. If the red-card decision is found to be wrong, for reasons like mistaken identity or a simply poor decision, the ban is overturned.
Are red cards wiped at any point in the tournament?
While yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-finals - a rule change brought in back in 2010 - it is not the same for reds. If a player is sent off, they will always miss their side's next game. That means any player who is unlucky or foolish enough to be dismissed in a semi-final and their team progresses, that player will miss the final, unless it is successfully appealed.
The rule amendment means it is now much more difficult for a player to be suspended for a World Cup final, though previously some star names have had to miss out somewhat unfairly. Germany's Michael Ballack was banned for the 2002 final after picking up just his second caution of the tournament, while Italy's Alessandro Costacurta missed 1994's equivalent match for the same reason.
Notable red card incidents in World Cup history
Perhaps the most famous red card in World Cup history came in the 2006 final, when France star Zinedine Zidane head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi during extra-time. Les Bleus held out until the penalty shootout but were defeated by the Azzurri, with Zidane retiring from professional football after the tournament.
England have had a few disastrous red cards at World Cups, with perhaps the two most infamous examples being David Beckham's kick towards Diego Simeone in 1998 and Wayne Rooney's stamp on Ricardo Carvalho in 2006. The Three Lions lost both games, with the dismissals playing big parts in their eliminations.
When it comes to most red cards dished out in one World Cup game, it will take an awfully lawless and poorly-spirited match to overtake 2006's Battle of Nuremburg when Portugal and the Netherlands faced off in the last 16. Portugal duo Costinha and Deco and Dutch pair Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst were all dismissed by Russian referee Valentin Ivanov, with Maniche scoring the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute.