Seventeen players risk missing World Cup semi-finals

Seventeen players from different teams at the 2026 World Cup are at risk of missing the semi-finals through suspension, including Argentina defender Gonzalo Montiel.

Under FIFA’s rules, any player who picks up two yellow cards in separate matches from the round of 32 through to the quarter-finals is handed an automatic one-match ban. That means a booking in the round of 32 or last 16, followed by another in the quarter-finals, would rule a player out of the semi-finals.

Morocco have four players on the warning list: Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Redouane Halhal and Bilal El Khannouss. England also have four: Jude Bellingham, Neco O’Reilly, Declan Rice and Marc Guehi.

France’s Manuel Koné and Michael Olise are one booking away from a ban, as are Switzerland trio Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria and Miro Muheim.

Spain’s Fran Torres, Norway’s Antoniusa, Belgium’s Brandon Mechele and Argentina’s Montiel complete the list.