In a historic moment at the 2026 World Cup, Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron became the first player ever to be shown a red card for covering his mouth during a match. The incident occurred in a group stage clash against Turkey, held in the early hours of Saturday.
FIFA had introduced a new rule for this tournament, stating that any player covering their mouth in a confrontational encounter with an opponent could be sent off. Almiron’s action while speaking to Turkey’s Mert Mulder triggered a VAR review, leading to his dismissal just before half-time.
Despite being reduced to ten men, Paraguay secured a crucial 1-0 victory, thanks to an early goal by Matias Galarza. The win keeps their hopes alive of advancing to the knockout stage, with a decisive match against Australia next Thursday. Meanwhile, Turkey has been eliminated after two consecutive losses.
Paraguayan coach Gustavo Alfaro refrained from commenting directly on the red card but expressed that he felt everything was going against his team during the game. The new regulation does not ban all mouth-covering; players can still do so in non-confrontational situations, like during free kicks to conceal set-piece plans.
Almiron, a former Newcastle United star, now holds an unwanted record in World Cup history. Paraguay’s victory has boosted their chances of finishing as group runners-up behind the USA.