World Cup red cards surge to match the last two tournaments combined

The 2026 World Cup continued its unusually high rate of red cards on Sunday night, when Belgium were reduced to 10 men after Nathan N'Goyi was sent off directly in the 66th minute. While the foul by the defender, who was the last man in the back line, appeared to be a valid dismissal, the tournament’s card tally remains strikingly abnormal.

N'Goyi’s sending-off was the eighth red card of the tournament, matching the total from the previous two World Cups combined. The 2022 World Cup featured four red cards, including one straight red, while the 2018 World Cup also produced four reds, two of them direct dismissals.

The match referee, Darío Herrera of Argentina, also maintained his own unusually card-heavy pace. Across his 20 previous matches, he averaged 5.6 yellow cards and 0.6 red cards per game. Sunday’s red was the 13th he has issued in his last 21 matches.