Cristiano Ronaldo has avoided a suspension that would have seen him miss the start of the 2026 World Cup, thanks to FIFA’s decision to suspend the rest of his suspension for the red card he was shown in Portugal’s penultimate qualifier earlier this month.

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Ronaldo missed Portugal’s last game of World Cup qualifying — a 9-1 victory over Armenia — and would otherwise miss the next two game’s of official World Cup competition: that is, next summer’s World Cup, which will almost certainly be his last tournament at the age of 41. FIFA explained their decision as such:

“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.

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