Special regulations for yellow suspensionWorld Cup consequences: Here’s what the current DFB stars face if they get a red card
Everyone wants to go to the World Cup next year. Being banned from the 2026 tournament will be bittersweet. That’s why DFB professionals also have to be careful in the final match of the qualifying group. Two people from Munich are the main focus.
Cristiano Ronaldo should not be a role model for German national footballers. At least not in the match to determine World Cup tickets directly at night (20.45/ZDF and on live ticker on ntv.de) in Leipzig against Slovakia. The reason: If a DFB player gets a red or yellow-red card, it will have a direct impact on the World Cup. Portuguese superstar Ronaldo is still waiting for his exact punishment after being sent off against Ireland.
FIFA’s rules are clear: the ban on expulsions in the qualifying rounds will carry over to the final round. Yellow-red results in a break in the first group match. In the case of immediate expulsion, this is the minimum suspension. As in Ronaldo’s case, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decides how long the ban will be.
DFB striker Mike Hanke was suspended for two games at home to the 2006 World Cup for his red card in the third-place match at the 2005 Confederations Cup. Then-national coach Jürgen Klinsmann still included him in his World Cup squad for the fairytale summer. Will Julian Nagelsmann also make the same decision? Leon Goretzka and Jonathan Tah will have to be very careful against Slovakia. After their warning against Luxembourg (2-0), the professional team Bayern has another rule that will apply if Germany misses out on a direct World Cup ticket due to defeat. For both, it would be the second in the current competition. They would then be suspended for the first playoff game. If they reach the World Cup straight away, there are no consequences.
Nagelsmann is clearly wary. Against Luxembourg, he sent both players off the pitch to prevent a yellow-red card, which would have meant expulsion from the match against Slovakia. Individual yellow cards will be canceled after the group stage and have no relevance to the World Cup. Send-offs or warnings in matches between qualifying and the start of the World Cup, for example in test matches or the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of the year, do not result in a World Cup ban, provided there is no behavior that is overtly contrary to sportsmanship.
