2026 World Cup: Olise, Koné, Hakimi, Bellingham... the 20 players at risk of suspension for the semi-finals

A yellow card could rule them out of a potential semi-final. In total, 20 players, including three Frenchmen, are heading into the World Cup quarter-finals under the threat of suspension.

The World Cup round of 16 concluded on Tuesday with Argentina and Switzerland advancing. Before the quarterfinals, the first of which will see France face Morocco on Thursday (10 p.m.) in Boston, the eight remaining teams will have to consider the significant factor of players facing suspension should they reach the semifinals. While FIFA implemented a new amnesty for this edition, resetting card counts after the group stage, twenty players from the remaining teams received yellow cards between the round of 32 and the round of 16.

Michael Olise's card withdrawn?

Morocco is the team most at risk, with five players facing suspension ahead of their clash against France. This includes captain Achraf Hakimi, as well as Issa Diop, Azzedine Ounahi, Redouane Halhal, and Bilal El Khannouss. Three French players will also be playing with this concern: Manu Koné, Bradley Barcola, and Michael Olise, all booked during the chaotic match against Paraguay. The French Football Federation (FFF) has requested that Olise's yellow card, which was a harsh punishment, be rescinded.

The scores will be reset after the quarters.

England will face Norway on Saturday (11 p.m.) with five players at risk of suspension, including playmaker Jude Bellingham and defensive midfielder Declan Rice. Jordan Henderson, booked in stoppage time against Mexico, is among them, even though the midfielder's tournament is already over after injuring his wrist when landing from a jump over an advertising board. Jarell Quansah, sent off against Mexico, will miss the quarter-final, and possibly the semi-final if his suspension is increased (the FA was also considering all appeals to overturn his red card).

The Norwegians will be less concerned, with only Antonio Nusa already on a yellow card. Against Argentina on Sunday (3 a.m.), three Swiss players will be at risk of suspension, including stalwarts Granit Xhaka and Denis Zakaria. For the world champions – spared from sanctions against Egypt despite some borderline incidents – only Gonzalo Montiel will be affected.

On Friday (9pm), Spain and Belgium will face off with one player from each team in this situation (Ferran Torres and Brandon Mechele). If they avoid another yellow card, the players in question will be able to breathe a sigh of relief should they qualify, as the disciplinary record will be reset after the quarter-finals.

The 20 players at risk of suspension for the semi-finals

1. Morocco (5): Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Azzedine Ounahi, Redouane Halhal, Bilal El Khannouss
2. England (5): Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly, Jordan Henderson
3. France (3): Manu Koné, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise
4. Switzerland (3): Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Miro Muheim
5. Norway (1): Antonio Nusa
6. Spain (1): Ferran Torres
7. Belgium (1): Brandon Mechele
8. Argentina (1): Gonzalo Montiel