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The 2026 World Cup "reds" early, red cards towards a historic record

Politiko 2026-06-19 14:46:45

The 2026 World Cup "reds" early, red cards towards a historic record

The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be one of the toughest editions in recent years, with the number of red cards continuing to increase from match to match.

During the matches held on June 18 and 19 alone, the referees sent off three players, bringing the total number of red cards given so far in the tournament to six.

In Switzerland's 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic was sent off in the 80th minute. Meanwhile, in the match between Canada and Qatar, two players from the Asian team, Homam Ahmed and Assim Madibo, left the field before the end of the match.

After 28 matches played so far, the tournament has recorded six red cards, a figure that brings it significantly closer to the record set at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when a total of 10 red cards were issued. By comparison, the 2018 and 2022 editions saw just four red cards in total.

At the current pace, the 2026 World Cup is likely to surpass the 2014 figure and go down in history as one of the tournaments with the most red cards in the modern World Cup era.

The 2026 World Cup "reds" early, red cards towards a historic record

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