17 World Cup Stars Risk Missing Semi Finals Over Yellow Cards

(Yellow Card. Photo by Sports Illustrated)

Seventeen players will head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals just one booking away from suspension, with a further yellow card set to rule them out of a potential semi-final.

Under FIFA’s disciplinary rules, any player who picks up a second yellow card during the tournament by the quarter-final stage will miss the semi-finals should their team progress.

A total of seventeen players collected yellow cards in the Round of 16, which concluded on Tuesday.

Morocco have four players walking the disciplinary tightrope: Issa Diop, Achraf Hakimi, Redouane Halhal and Bilal El Khannouss.

England also have four players at risk of suspension: Jude Bellingham, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice and Marc Guehi.

Jarell Quansah, meanwhile, was sent off during the Lions’ 3-2 win over co-host Mexico, ruling him out entirely of the quarter-final clash against Norway on Saturday.

France duo Manu Kone and Michael Olise are also just one caution away from missing a possible semi-final.

Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria and Miro Muheim find themselves in the same position, while Spain’s Ferran Torres, Norway’s Antonio Nusa, Belgium’s Brandon Mechele and Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel round out the list.

All 17 players will need to steer clear of another booking in the last-eight fixtures if they hope to remain eligible for a potential semi-final appearance.