'Already 6 red cards': Red card warning issued, surpassing 2018 and 2022 World Cup records

*This content was translated by AI.

A so-called "red card warning" has been issued for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. By the time only 27 matches had been played, the tournament had already exceeded the total number of send-offs from the entire 2018 Russia tournament and the 2022 Qatar tournament.

Things were not normal from the opening match of Group A, in which the South Korean national football team is competing. In the Group A opener between Mexico and South Africa held on the 12th at Mexico City Stadium, no fewer than three players were sent off. In South Africa's case, Sphelele Sithole (Tondela) and Temba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns) received red cards, while Mexico's host nation also saw Cesar Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow) sent off and leave the field.

The incidents did not end there. In the Group B second match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 19th, Bosnia's Tariq Muharemovic (Sassuolo) also received a red card. In the subsequent match between Canada and Qatar, Qatar's Homam Elamin (Cultural Leonesa) and Asem Madibo (Al-Wakra) were sent off in succession.

The Canada-Qatar match was the 27th game of the World Cup since its opening, and by that point, six players had already been sent off. This far exceeds the record of four red cards shown across all 64 matches (group stage and knockout rounds combined) in both the 2018 Russia tournament and the 2022 Qatar tournament. With the tournament barely halfway through, more players have already been sent off than in the two most recent World Cups.

Naturally, red cards are likely to become a significant variable throughout this tournament. In fact, excluding the Mexico-South Africa match where both teams had players sent off, the remaining two matches saw the teams that lost players to red cards suffer decisive defeats. Bosnia lost 1-4 to Switzerland, and Qatar suffered a heavy 0-6 defeat to Canada. In the Mexico-South Africa match as well, South Africa, which had two players sent off first, lost 0-2 to Mexico.

The South Korean national team, under coach Hong Myung-bo, must also be cautious about red card decisions. Considering the tendency of referees in this tournament to issue relatively many red cards, Korea must keep in mind that it could become a victim of a red card at any time and prepare accordingly.

Moreover, a red card decision does not simply end with a numerical disadvantage in that match. Under regulations, the player cannot participate in the next match due to suspension, and additional suspensions may be imposed according to FIFA disciplinary rules. For example, South African midfielder Zwane, who was sent off in the Mexico match, received an additional two-match suspension from FIFA, making him ineligible to play in a total of three matches. This suspension includes the Group A third match against South Korea. This means that an impulsive red-card foul affects not only the current match but also the team's entire World Cup plan.

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*This content was translated by AI.