A history of World Cup red cards: high feet, lost heads and a covered mouth

Miguel Almirón’s dismissal was unusual but there’s nothing new about players losing their cool on the biggest stage

After a fairly pedestrian first half of the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the game burst into life in the second period. South Africa midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who had been at fault for Mexico’s opening goal, compounded his error by being sent off in the 49th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity. When Themba Zwane was dismissed, South Africa became the 15th team to have two players sent off in the same World Cup match.

There was time for one more red card before full-time, the Mexico centre-back César Montes seeing red in stoppage time and following in the footsteps of his manager, Javier Aguirre, who was sent off while playing for Mexico in the 1986 quarter-final against West Germany in Monterrey.

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