MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JULY 5: (L-R) Jarell Quansah of England, Jesus Gallardo of Mexico during the World Cup match between Mexico v England at the Mexico City Stadium on July 5, 2026 in Mexico City Mexico (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)England defender Jarell Quansah has been handed a two-match suspension by FIFA following his red card in the Three Lions’ 3-2 victory over Mexico in the World Cup Round of 32, ruling him out of Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway and a potential semi-final should England advance.The FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed the two-match ban for “serious foul play” after concluding that Quansah’s tackle on Mexico’s Jess Gallardo constituted a breach of article 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The suspension means the 23-year-old will only be available to play again if England reach the final or contest the third-place play-off.The Football Association had been considering an appeal against the automatic one-match suspension following FIFA’s shock decision to overturn United States striker Folarin Balogun’s red card.Balogun became the 12th player to receive a red card at the 2026 World Cup and was the first not to serve a suspension after FIFA invoked article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the automatic one-match ban for a probationary period of one year. The decision came after US President Donald Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card.A British MP, Noah Law, wrote to Infantino requesting that Quansah’s suspension be delayed until after the tournament, arguing that rules must be “applied equally” to all participating nations.England head coach Thomas Tuchel was left furious by the decision.”It’s just not good enough,” Tuchel said. “The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough. That’s the bottom line”.The suspension further complicates England’s options at right-back, where injuries have already sidelined first-choice Reece James and Djed Spence during parts of the tournament.James, who suffered a hamstring injury in the second group match against Ghana, has missed the games against Panama, DR Congo and Mexico. Tuchel had earlier expressed optimism that James would be available for the quarter-final, but his fitness remains uncertain.England face Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with a place in the semi-finals at stake against an in-form Norwegian side led by Erling Haaland.
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World Cup 2026: FIFA hits Jarell Quansah with two-match ban, set to miss potential semi-final
