World Cup Red Cards Pile Up at Unusual Pace
The 2026 World Cup’s disciplinary chaos continued on Sunday night, when Belgium were reduced to 10 men after Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card in the 66th minute. While the defender’s foul as the last man in the back line was widely seen as harsh, the tournament’s red-card rate remains striking.
Ngoy’s dismissal was the eighth red card of the competition, matching the total from the previous two World Cups combined. In Qatar 2022 there were four red cards, only one of them direct, and in Russia 2018 there were also four, including two direct dismissals.
The match was officiated by Argentine referee Darío Herrera, who also stood out for his card-happy style. Across his previous 20 games, he averaged 5.6 yellow cards per match and 0.6 red cards. Sunday’s sending-off was the 13th red card Herrera has issued in his last 21 matches.
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