The 2026 World Cup did not start so much as combustion. Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio took center stage in Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, showing three red cards in front of more than 80,000 fans in an otherwise largely uneventful match.
South Africa’s Siphephelo Sithole was sent off in the first half before substitute Themba Zwane followed in the 84th minute, sent off after a VAR review for catching Roberto Alvarado in the face. Mexico didn’t escape either: captain César Montes saw red in stoppage time for denying a clear scoring chance. The result was a curtain-raiser with more red cards than goals, and a new record for most dismissals in an opening World Cup game. The previous record belonged to Cameroon, who had two players sent off but still beat Argentina in 1990.
It was also the first World Cup match since 2006 to feature three or more reds, which begs an obvious question: are we seeing the start of the tournament with the most cards in history?
What exactly is the registry?
The benchmark is Germany 2006, which produced a staggering 28 red cards in 64 games, comfortably the most of any registered World Cup. France 1998 are second with 22 points, with South Korea/Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010 with 17 each. Italy 1990 (16) and USA 1994 (15) follow, while Qatar 2022 was a model of containment with just four red cards throughout the tournament.
The single-match record also dates from that 2006 edition: the “Battle of Nuremberg” between Portugal and the Netherlands, where Valentin Ivanov issued four reds and 16 yellows. That same tournament also produced the most infamous dismissal of all: Zinedine Zidane’s header at the End of the World Cup. Thursday’s opener, then, fell just one short of equaling the most dismissals ever seen in a single World Cup game.
Why 2026 could rewrite the books
The math favors the record falling. This is the first 48-team World Cup, expanded to 104 matches – 40 more than in 2006. Even a relatively tame disciplinary rate, spread over so many games, threatens the mark of 28. In 2006, referees averaged roughly 0.44 red cards per game; replicate even half in 104 games and the record is broken.
New disciplinary directives add fuel. FIFA has tightened its instructions to officials for this tournament, and Sampaio’s willingness to pick his pocket three times in one afternoon suggests the men in the middle have arrived ready to enforce them.
Of course, an explosive opener is a small sample. Tournament starts tend to be cautious rather than chaotic, and three reds can still be unusual. But with a record number of matches, 16 of the 48 nations making relatively recent appearances or debutants, and referees on a tight leash, 2026 has all the ingredients to challenge – and possibly surpass – Germany 2006’s 28 dismissals. On the evidence of the first day, the bookies may not have to wait long.
