Seventeen Players Face Suspension Risk Ahead of 2026 World Cup Quarterfinals

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal stage begins on Thursday with the match between France and Morocco at 23:00 local time in Foxborough, followed by three more games over the weekend. Seventeen players across eight national teams carry yellow cards and risk suspension if their teams advance to the semifinals. Yellow card counts were reset after the group stage and started anew in the round of 32, with another reset after the quarterfinals, meaning a second yellow in the semifinals will not lead to suspension for the final.

The players at risk include Argentina's Gonzalo Montiel; England's Jude Bellingham, Neco O'Leary, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi; France's Manu Koné and Michael Olise; Spain's Fran Torres; Switzerland's Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, and Miro Muheim; Norway's Antonio Nusa; Belgium's Brandon Mechele; and Morocco's Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Radouane Chalkhal, and Bilal El Khannous.

The quarterfinal matchups are France vs. Morocco on July 9, Spain vs. Belgium on July 10, Norway vs. England on July 12, and Argentina vs. Switzerland also on July 12. The first semifinal will take place on July 14 at 22:00 Israel time, featuring the winners of France/Morocco and Spain/Belgium. The second semifinal is scheduled for July 15 at 22:00 Israel time, with the winners of Norway/England and Argentina/Switzerland. The final is set for July 19 at 22:00 Israel time.