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FIFA has confirmed a series of disciplinary sanctions stemming from incidents during the November 2025 international window in the qualifying competition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a disciplinary overview published on March 12, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee outlined fines, suspensions and other penalties issued to players, national associations and teams following incidents across multiple qualifiers played between November 13 and 18.
Among the most notable individual punishments, Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-match suspension and a CHF 5,000 fine for violent conduct during Portugal’s qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on November 13. Two of the suspension matches were placed under probation.
Several other players were also sanctioned for misconduct during the international fixtures. El Salvador’s Edgar Carvajal Villa was handed a four-match ban and a CHF 5,000 fine for unsporting behaviour towards a match official in the match against Suriname. Kazakhstan’s Islam Chesnokov and Romania’s Denis Mihai Drăguș each received two-match suspensions for serious foul play, while Northern Ireland defender Daniel Ballard, Slovenia’s Petar Stojanović and Greece captain Anastasios Bakasetas were all given one-match bans for unsporting conduct.
Further suspensions were issued to Costa Rica striker Manfred Ugalde, who received a four-match ban for assault, and Honduras forward Romell Quioto, who was suspended for three matches for violent conduct. Moldova’s Sergiu Perciun was also given a one-match suspension for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, while Jamaica’s Jonathan Russell and Denmark defender Rasmus Nissen Kristensen each received one-match bans.
A number of national associations were fined for crowd-related incidents and security breaches during matches. The largest sanction was imposed on the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which received a CHF 141,000 fine for fireworks and security violations during its match against Austria. Earlier in the window, the federation had also been fined CHF 60,000 and ordered to play a future match with a 20% spectator restriction following incidents including discrimination, fireworks and disturbances during the national anthems in the match against Romania.
The Croatian Football Federation was fined CHF 69,000 and instructed to reinvest part of the amount in a prevention plan following discriminatory behaviour and other security issues during its fixture against Montenegro. The Hungarian Football Federation also received significant sanctions, including a CHF 64,250 fine and a requirement to play a match with a 15% reduction in spectators due to incidents involving racist abuse, thrown objects and fireworks in the match against Ireland.
Elsewhere, fines were issued to numerous federations for breaches of match security regulations, including the Polish Football Association, Football Federation of Kosovo and the Portuguese Football Federation, with violations ranging from the throwing of objects and the lighting of fireworks to pitch invasions and inappropriate messages displayed during matches.
FIFA noted that its judicial bodies assess each case based on the specific circumstances involved and added that some of the decisions may still be subject to appeal. The disciplinary overview released to the media serves as an informational summary, while the formal decisions communicated to the parties concerned remain the legally binding documents.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Johannes Hübner, Unsplash / Fauzan Saari
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