Will Cristiano Ronaldo miss the start of the 2026 FIFA World after red card? Journalist provides update

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the first match of the FIFA World Cup if they qualify for the 2026 edition of the tournament. The Portuguese superstar will also miss the upcoming qualifier against Armenia after getting sent off against Ireland.

According to BBC journalist Dale Johnson, Ronaldo will be suspended for two matches following his sending off at the Aviva Stadium for elbowing Dara O'Shea. Ireland were 2-0 up when the Portuguese superstar was given the marching orders and the home side finished the game with the scoreline intact.

If Portugal fail to qualify directly from the group and need to go through the play-offs, Ronaldo will miss the first leg of the tie.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez spoke after the game and revealed that he had spoken to Ronaldo after the sending off. He believes that the red card was unlucky, as VAR interpreted it differently, as camera angles made it worse than it was, and said (via Ojogo):

"Of course, we did. I think it's difficult for a player like Cristiano, who is in the box. And today he had two defenders always with physical contact. There is no violence. He tries to remove the defender and it was unlucky that the VAR consideration... The angle of the images [makes it seem] worse than what happened. It's Ronaldo's first red card in the national team, it's incredible."

Talking about the performance, he added:

"It's a game to forget. It happens in football. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And it went well for Ireland. We talk a lot about the set piece, the transition, the corner goal. There was a lack of purpose. We showed fight until the end with ten, the last minutes with a lot of heart, but Ireland deserved to win. The strength of the stadium that Ireland had is what we need, and we know that we can count on the last qualifying game to confirm our presence in the World Cup."

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the game against Armenia, with Portugal needing a win to secure their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A draw or loss could see them finish second in the group, and they will then need to go through the play-offs to qualify.

Ireland manager reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo told him after red card

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke to Sport TV after the match, revealing that Cristiano Ronaldo blamed him for the red card. The Portuguese superstar believed that the manager put pressure on the referee with his comments ahead of the match and said (via Ojogo):

"Cristiano Ronaldo told me that I put pressure on the referee at the press conference and asked me if I was happy with his expulsion. Obviously, seeing Portugal losing the best player makes me happy, but the attitude for the expulsion was his. I had nothing to do with it."

Ireland can qualify for the FIFA World Cup next year if they beat Hungary in their final qualifier match next week. However, if Armenia fail to beat Portugal, Ireland will need to go through the play-offs.