Paraguay Beats Turkiye 1-0 Despite Almiron Red Card at 2026 World Cup

Miguel Almiron received a red card for covering his mouth during an on-field confrontation in Paraguay’s Group D World Cup match against Turkiye on 20 June 2026 at San Francisco Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. The dismissal made Almiron the first player sent off at the 2026 World Cup for violating the mouth-covering rule.

Paraguay played with ten men for the second half yet secured a 1-0 victory that eliminated Turkiye from the tournament.

Almiron will miss Paraguay’s final Group D match against Australia on 22 June 2026. The International Football Association Board approved the rule in April. It forbids players from covering their mouths during confrontations, though it allows exceptions for friendly conversations with club teammates on opposing teams.

Almiron posted on Instagram after the match, thanking his teammates for their effort in the 1-0 win without mentioning his dismissal. “I want to thank the effort of my teammates today, giving everything in each ball, thank you, thank you, thank you, I’m proud to be part of this squad,” he wrote.

England defender Dan Burn, who played with Almiron at Newcastle United, said the gesture appeared habitual.

“I know Miggy personally, so I think it’s more habit with Miggy. I’ve seen him do that a lot over the years in games,” Burn stated. Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said he told Almiron in the dressing room to move past the incident.

“The first thing I told him when he came into the dressing room was, ‘Change that face, we won, don’t feel guilty about anything,’” Alfaro said. He added that a yellow card would have sufficed and expressed concern that some new rules could hurt the game.