Why did Paraguay's Miguel Almirón get a red card? Explaining 'covering mouth' rule

Miguel Almirón made World Cup history Friday night — just not the kind he would have liked.

The Paraguay midfielder became the first player ever to be red carded for covering his mouth during a World Cup game, and was sent off late in the first half against Turkey. The ejection forced Paraguay, which held a 1-0 lead at the time, to play with 10 men for the entire second half.

Even with a man disadvantage, Paraguay held on for a 1-0 win that eliminated Turkey.

Almirón briefly covered his mouth when he said something to Turkey's Mert Müldür, who immediately pointed out the Paraguay midfielder committed an infraction.

The referee went to the monitor and after a brief review, produced a red card for Almiron.

This World Cup is the first to feature red cards for players who cover their mouths during confrontations.

The rule was triggered by a February Champions League match in which Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his jersey while directing abuse at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, making it impossible for officials to verify what was said.

FIFA responded by giving referees the authority to issue a red card to any player who covers his mouth during a confrontation.  

World Cup standings

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2026 World Cup format

The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:

• Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
• Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
• Superior goal difference in all group matches
• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
• Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained
• The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men's World Ranking

World Cup groups

• Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
• Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
• Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
• Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
• Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

World Cup key dates

• Group Stage: June 11-June 27
• Round of 32: June 28-July 3
• Round of 16: July 4-7
• Quarterfinals: July 9-11
• Semifinals: July 14-15
• Third-place game: July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida)
• Final: July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)