​The FIFA World Cup quarter-finals start this Thursday (the 9th), featuring the clash between France and Morocco. A total of 19 players are at risk of missing the semi-finals, because they head into the match carrying a yellow card. If any of them receive a booking in this decisive stage, they would be suspended for the semi-final. FIFA’s disciplinary rules state that a player who collects two yellow cards before the end of the quarter-finals will automatically be suspended. After the quarter-final round concludes, all yellow cards are cleared. This rule prevents a player from missing the final or the third-place playoff due to accumulation, except in the event of a red card in the semi-final. The 2002 World Cup saw Michael Ballack miss the final against Brazil due to a suspension stemming from yellow cards in earlier rounds, a precedent that underlines the significance of remaining card-free through the quarter-finals.
The match opening the quarter-finals, France versus Morocco, carries particularly high disciplinary tension, with eight players across both teams at risk. By contrast, the Spain versus Belgium pairing features only one at-risk player on each side. England also faces a notable risk with four players holding yellow cards and needing careful discipline to avoid a suspension that could impact their semi-final prospects.
Here is the full list of players at risk, organized by national team:
– Morocco (5): Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Redouane Halhal, Bilal El Khannouss, and Azzedine Ounahi.
– England (4): Jude Bellingham, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice, and Marc Guehi.
– France (3): Manu Koné, Bradley Barcola, and Michael Olise.
– Switzerland (3): Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, and Miro Muheim.
– Argentina (1): Gonzalo Montiel.
– Spain (1): Ferran Torres.
– Belgium (1): Brandon Mechele.
– Norway (1): Antonio Nusa.
This article has been translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence. You can read the original version in Portuguese here for reference.