The Round of 32 stage of the World Cup continues this evening with England taking on DR Congo in Atlanta.
But thanks to a new yellow card suspension rule, which has been introduced by FIFA for this expanded 48-team tournament, players who picked up a single booking in the group stage will not have to worry about missing the Round of 16 if they enter the referee’s notebook in the Round of 32.
This will come as a relief to the likes of England star Declan Rice, who was issued with a yellow card during the Three Lions’ draw with Ghana last week.
Here’s how the yellow and red card rules work at the World Cup and how many games players will be forced to miss through suspension.
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How do the yellow card rules work?
Yellow cards will be wiped after the group stage and then again after the quarter-final stage.
This means that any player who picked up a yellow card in the group stage will not be suspended if they are booked again in the Round of 32.
However, if a player is shown a yellow card in both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 stages, they will be suspended for the team’s quarter-final game.
Similarly, if a player is booked in either the Round of 32 or Round of 16, and then again in the quarter-final, they will miss the semi-final through suspension.
But given the amnesty after the quarter-final stage, a yellow card in the semi-final will not rule a player out of the final.
This ensures that only a red card in the semi-final will rule a player out of featuring in a World Cup final – undoubtedly the biggest match of any player’s career.
How many games do players miss with a red card?
Any player picking up a red card in the World Cup will be suspended for the team’s following game, regardless of what stage the competition is at.
Can yellow and red cards be appealed?
No, neither yellow cards nor red cards resulting from a second yellow card can be appealed at the World Cup.
The only exception is straight red cards, which can be appealed via FIFA during a limited timeframe after a match.
While a successful appeal can see the card overturned, the committee which hears the appeal also has the power to extend the ban in situations where violent conduct is involved.