17 Players Face Semi-Final Suspension Risk in World Cup Quarter-Finals

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup enters the quarter-finals, 17 players are currently at risk of missing a potential semi-final match due to disciplinary rules regarding yellow card accumulation.

Disciplinary Context

According to tournament regulations, players who receive a second yellow card during the knockout stages (specifically across the Round of 32, Round of 16, and quarter-finals) serve an automatic one-match suspension.

Crucially, all individual yellow cards are wiped clean following the conclusion of the quarter-finals. This means that no player can be suspended for the final due to accumulated yellow cards. However, players who receive their second caution of this knockout cycle during the upcoming quarter-final matches will still be suspended for the semi-final if their team advances.

Players at Risk

The following 17 players are currently one booking away from a one-match ban:

England: Jude Bellingham, Nico O'Reilly, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi.
Morocco: Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Redouane Halhal, and Bilal El Khannouss.
Switzerland: Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, and Miro Muheim.
France: Manu Kone and Michael Olise.
Others: Ferran Torres (Spain), Antonio Nusa (Norway), Brandon Mechele (Belgium), and Gonzalo Montiel (Argentina).

These players must avoid a yellow card in their respective quarter-final fixtures to remain eligible for a potential semi-final appearance.