Miguel Almiron became the first player to be sent off under a new FIFA rule banning players from covering their mouths during confrontations at the 2026 World Cup. The incident occurred during the Group D match between Paraguay and Turkey in Santa Clara, California, when Almiron was shown a red card after covering his mouth while speaking to Turkey's Mert Muldur in the first half stoppage time around 45+3 minutes, shortly before half-time [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The referee Ivan Barton of El Salvador issued the red card following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, applying a law introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in April 2026. The law permits red cards if players cover their mouths during confrontational or non-friendly exchanges to prevent offensive or discriminatory language from being concealed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
This new rule was prompted by a 2025 UEFA Champions League incident involving Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who covered his mouth when speaking to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. Prestianni received a six-match ban (three suspended) for homophobic conduct, triggering IFAB's decision to crack down on such behavior [1, 2, 3, 4].
At the time of the red card, Paraguay was leading 1-0 and went on to win the match with ten men for the entire second half. This marked Paraguay’s third ever red card in FIFA World Cup history and the seventh red card issued in the 2026 tournament, tying the record number of red cards so far since 2014 [1, 4, 5].
Almiron’s red card means he will miss Paraguay’s final Group D match against Australia today, June 22, due to suspension [7, 4]. Australia’s Jackson Irvine publicly supported the new rule, saying players had fair warning: “If you're saying something to someone that you don't want to be seen, then I think it's safe to say that if you can't be seen saying it, then it shouldn't be said” [7, 8].
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said of the rule: "If you do not have something to hide, you don’t hide your mouth when you say something. That’s it, as simple as that" [2].
Almiron did not comment publicly on the red card but posted a message celebrating the team’s victory on Instagram without mentioning the sending off [4]. Former teammate Dan Burn noted that covering the mouth is a habit for Almiron and cautioned that it will take time for players to adjust to the new law: "I’ve seen him do that a lot over the years in games, and I do think it’s one of those things where … it’s going to take a little while for some players to get used to that" [4].
Paraguay faces Australia today in their final Group D match with Almiron suspended.
