FIFA not even pretending not to give out preferential treatment any more.
Ronaldo has his 3 match ban for violent conduct (which would rule him out of the first game in the world cup) reduced to 1 match with two on probation - something which has never happened before.
www.bbc.co.uk
FIFA will also manually adjust the world cup draw so that teams ranked 1st through 4th cannot meet until the semi final (assuming they finish group winners of their respective groups)
www.bbc.co.uk
Ronaldo has his 3 match ban for violent conduct (which would rule him out of the first game in the world cup) reduced to 1 match with two on probation - something which has never happened before.
Cristiano Ronaldo able to play at World Cup despite red card against Republic of Ireland
Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to play for Portugal in their opening World Cup game despite his red card against the Republic of Ireland.
FIFA will also manually adjust the world cup draw so that teams ranked 1st through 4th cannot meet until the semi final (assuming they finish group winners of their respective groups)
World Cup 2026: Fifa to keep top seeds apart in draw
The top four seeded countries will not be able to meet each other until the semi-finals of next year's World Cup for the first time in the tournament's history.