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Five England players face risk of suspension ahead of World Cup semi-finals
Deepa Krishnaswamy | July 12, 2026 7:45 AM CST

Five members of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad will be eager to steer clear of yellow cards when they meet Norway.


While it’s too early to make assumptions about progression, should England advance past Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals, several players will be hoping to avoid bookings that could rule them out of the next round.


At this World Cup, yellow cards were wiped after the group stage and will again be cleared following the quarter-finals.


This ensures that no player can suffer the fate of Paul Gascoigne—receiving a yellow card in the semi-final that would keep them out of the final.


However, players can still face suspension for the semi-finals if they collect their second yellow card of the knockout stage during their team’s quarter-final match.


This means five England players are currently in danger of missing the semi-final if they are booked against Norway on Saturday.


Jude Bellingham received a booking for a foul on Nathaniel Mbuku during England’s round-of-32 win over DR Congo and was somewhat lucky to avoid another one in the following match against Mexico.


Four other England players were cautioned at Estadio Azteca, putting them on the same list.


Declan Rice was shown a yellow card for a high boot in just the first minute of the clash with Mexico.


Marc Guehi followed soon after, booked in the aftermath of Mexico’s penalty decision following a VAR review.


Nico O’Reilly also went into the referee’s book for elbowing Jorge Sanchez on the lip — a challenge that could easily have earned him a red card.


That leaves Jordan Henderson as the remaining England player at risk of a yellow card suspension.


The Brentford midfielder was shown a yellow in the 98th minute of the Mexico game, despite not featuring on the pitch as an unused substitute.


Henderson later sustained an injury after tumbling over the advertising boards during post-match celebrations. He has since undergone surgery for a fractured wrist but remains among the substitutes selected to face Norway.


Meanwhile, Jarell Quansah will miss both the Norway match and the potential semi-final after receiving a two-game suspension for his straight red card offence against Mexico.


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