It’s one of the most dramatic moments in soccer when a referee pulls a red card from his pocket, but what happens in the World Cup in such a situation?
Soccer fans were already treated to that drama multiple times in the opening match of the tournament, as three players were sent off during Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday in Mexico City.
All three ejections occurred in the second half, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both ejected for South Africa, and César Montes was tossed for Mexico late in the game.
So what happens when a player gets a red card in the World Cup?
In soccer, when a player receives a red card, or two yellow cards in the same game, they are ejected from the contest. Typically those cards are given out for major infractions, such as a deliberate use of the hands to hit the ball, a serious foul on the field of play, or a denial of a clear scoring opportunity.
In addition to being ejected from the game, the player’s team also has to play one player short for the remainder of the match, meaning that by the end of Thursday’s game, Mexico had only 10 players on the field, while South Africa was forced to play with only nine.
Still, the punishment isn’t over just because the player is ejected from the game.
When a player receives a red card in a World Cup game, they are automatically suspended for their team’s following match, meaning the three players who were ejected on Thursday will not be eligible to participate in their teams’ second game of group play.
That could be potentially devastating to a team like South Africa, who now faces an uphill battle to make it out of group play, and will now have to play with two fewer players available for their roster for their next game against Czechia.
As for Mexico, Montes will not be available when they play their next game against Korea on June 18.
There is one other note on cards in the World Cup. If a player receives two yellow cards during group play, they are automatically suspended for their following game. Those card totals reset after group play, but if the player gets two yellow cards in the first three games of the knockout stage, they would also be suspended for a game.
