What are the rules regarding yellow and red cards at the World Cup and how long are players suspended?

The 2022 World Cup begins in November and 32 nations are preparing to battle it out for football’s biggest prize.

As the tournament in Qatar approaches, each country will put in their final preparations before their opening game.

As each game will have such high stakes, players will be putting their all on the biggest stage in world football.

Heavy tackles and lots of dark arts will be on display and it could lead to suspensions.

So what exactly are the rules regarding red and yellow cards before and throughout the World Cup?

Existing suspensions

FIFA has specific regulations regarding players who may have received cautions in the rounds leading up to the World Cup finals.

Any yellow cards received by a player during the preliminary rounds of the World Cup will be cleared prior to the tournament.

Additionally, any pending suspensions as a result of cautions in different matches of the preliminary rounds will not carry over to the final competition.

However, if a player received a red card during the preliminary rounds, their suspension will carry over to the tournament.

Red cards and yellow cards

During the World Cup, if a player receives a yellow card in two different matches in the tournament, he will be suspended from his team’s next match.

If a player receives a red card and is sent off, he will be suspended for the team’s next game.

Depending on the nature of the red card, additional penalties may be added by FIFA if deemed necessary.

Any suspension received in the team’s last game of the competition will be carried over to its next official game.