In the 2018 FIFA World Cup the main disciplinary action taken against players comes in the form of red and yellow cards.
Any player picking up a red card is expelled from the pitch and automatically banned for his country's next match, whether via a straight red or second yellow. After a straight red card, FIFA will conduct a hearing and may extend this ban beyond one match. If the ban extends beyond the end of the World Cup finals (i.e. if a player is sent off in the match in which his team was eliminated), it must be served in the team's next competitive international match(es).
Players also receive a one match ban if they pick up two yellow cards from the beginning of the group stage until the end of the quarterfinal matches at which point single yellow cards will be deleted. However, such a ban does not carry over beyond the World Cup finals if the second yellow card is collected in his team's last match of the tournament. Previously, players received a one game ban if they pick up two yellow cards within the group stage or within the knockout stage, however the rule was changed to give players a better chance to compete in the final should their team advance that far.
Disciplinary statistics[]
- Total number of yellow cards - 295
- Average number of yellow cards - 4.60
- Total number of red cards - 15
- Average number of red cards - 0.23
- First yellow card: Domic - Mishmosh against Leubantia
- First red card: Alex Brunkin - England against Scotland
- Fastest yellow card from kickoff: 2:30 minutes - Branimir Techalfov - Bulgaria vs. Sudan, Paavo Ivanov - Estonia vs. Hungary
- Fastest yellow card after coming on as a substitute: 2 minutes - Thomas Milner - England vs. Germany
- Latest yellow card in a match without extra time: 90+5 minutes – Bert Basmati - Naanbreadland vs. Mishmosh
- Fastest dismissal from kick off: 5 minutes – Ingolf Müller – Germany vs. Leubantia
- Latest dismissal in a match without extra time: 90+5 minutes – Peeter Semenov – Estonia vs. Hungary
- Latest dismissal in a match with extra time: 119 minutes - Louis Ratsiraka - Madagascar vs. Louaza
- Least time difference between two yellow cards given to the same player: 5 minutes – Boldiszár Deák – Hungary against Estonia (Deák was booked in the 72nd minute and again in the 77th resulting in his dismissal.)
- Most yellow cards (team): 16 – Germany
- Most red cards (team): 2 – Hungary, Estonia, Germany
- Fewest yellow cards (team): 2 - Austria
- Most yellow cards (player): 3 - Boldiszár Deák, Peeter Semenov, Mohammed al-Jaber
- Most red cards (player): 1 (15 players) - Henrik Erdôs, Olev Ilves, Boldiszár Deák, Peeter Semenov, Clive Sueda, Alex Brunkin, Ingolf Müller, Nihorito Kawashaka, Hamish McLaing, Rudi Vatta, Danny Kabana, Rimando, Mohammed al-Jaber, Louis Ratsiraka, Hermann Wüsser
- Most yellow cards (match): 16 - Hungary vs. Estonia
- Most red cards (match): 4 - Hungary vs. Estonia
- Fewest yellow cards (match): 0 - Louaza vs. Niger, Scotland vs. Poland
- Most cards in one match: 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards – Hungary vs. Estonia
Sanctions[]
By referee[]
| Referee | Matches |  Red
|
 Yellow
|
Red Cards | Penalty kicks awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Benjamin Dayley |
3 | 0 | ? | ||
 Miguel P. Valdez |
3 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Kürén Zéflüng |
3 | 0 | ? | ||
 Boudissa Kakraka |
3 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | 1 |
 Joachim Fischer |
3 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Béla Svára |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Bill Braisley |
2 | 2 | ? | 2 straight reds | |
 Hugo Moreno |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Jakob Daniel Nielsen |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Felipe Santos |
2 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Picolli Rubens |
2 | 0 | ? | 1 | |
 Vitali Romanov |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Edgar Sánchez |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Abdul Gorenji |
2 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Javier Rollandez |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Fabio Collini |
2 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Rajiv Babaji |
2 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Adolf Vellormann |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Andrés Nieto |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Matthew Boukara |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Hamish Smith |
2 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Waclaw Menslav |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Jordan P. Truman |
2 | 0 | ? | ||
 Hojung Al-sung |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Andrés Galonio |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Miroslav Roskada |
1 | 1 | ? | 1 straight red | |
 Hristo Nedialkov |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Gamal Bejudi |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Jordan Hoskrila |
1 | 0 | ? | ||
 Rory Graverston |
1 | 0 | ? |
By team[]
| Team | Yellow |
Red |
Red Cards | Reason | Suspensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria |
2 | 0 | |||
| Bulgaria |
? | 0 | |||
| Brazil |
? | 1 | Rimando vs. Leubantia straight red card |
violent conduct | Rimando vs. TBD (first match at 2019 Copa América) |
| Canada |
? | 0 | |||
 Chile |
? | 0 | |||
 China PR |
? | 0 | |||
| Czech Republic |
? | 0 | |||
| Denmark |
? | 0 | |||
 England |
? | 1 | A. Brunkin vs. Scotland straight red card |
violent conduct | A. Brunkin vs. Germany |
 Estonia |
? | 2 | O. Ilves vs. Hungary second yellow card P. Semenov vs. Hungary second yellow card |
violent conduct violent conduct |
O. Ilves vs. Canada P. Semenov vs. Canada |
 France |
? | 0 | |||
| Germany |
16 | 2 | H. Wüssser vs. Scotland straight red card I. Müller vs. Leubantia straight red card |
violent conduct violent conduct |
H. Wüsser vs. Leubantia I. Müller vs. Norway (Euro 2020 qualifier Group C) |
| Hungary |
? | 2 | H. Erdôs vs. Estonia second yellow card B. Deák vs. Estonia second yellow card |
violent conduct deliberate handball |
H. Erdôs vs. USA B. Deák vs. USA |
| Italy |
? | 0 | |||
 Japan |
? | 1 | N. Kawashaka vs. Spain straight red card |
violent conduct | N. Kawashaka vs. Jordan (2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier Group A) |
| Leubantia |
? | 0 | |||
 Libya |
? | 0 | |||
 Louaza |
? | 0 | |||
 Madagascar |
? | 1 | L. Ratsiraka vs. Louaza straight red card |
unsporting behaviour | L. Ratsiraka vs. Mauritius (2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier Group D) |
 Mishmosh |
? | 1 | D. Kabana vs. Naanbreadland straight red card |
professional foul | D. Kabana vs. Rorbania |
| Naanbreadland |
? | 0 | |||
 Niger |
? | 0 | |||
| Peru |
? | 0 | |||
| Poland |
? | 0 | |||
 Republic of Ireland |
? | 0 | |||
| Rorbania |
? | 1 | R. Vatta vs. Scotland straight red card |
violent conduct | R. Vatta vs. Albania (Euro 2020 qualifier Group A) |
| Scotland |
? | 1 | H. McLaing vs. Leubantia straight red card |
violent conduct | H. McLaing vs. Louaza |
| Spain |
? | 0 | |||
 Sudan |
? | 1 | M. al-Jaber vs. Czech Republic straight red card |
violent conduct | M. al-Jaber vs. Kenya (2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier Group B) |
 Turkey |
? | 0 | |||
 Ukraine |
? | 0 | |||
| USA |
? | 1 | C. Sueda vs. Louaza straight red card |
tackling | C. Sueda vs. Guyana (2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup) |