Portugal is confirmed qualified for World Cup 2026 after thrashing Armenia 9-1, but Cristiano Ronaldo did not play there, as he was shown a red card in the previous match, a 2-0 defeat to Ireland that eventually led to Ireland qualifying for play-offs. Ronaldo saw a straight red card after elbowing Irish defender Dara O'Shea, following a VAR check.
According to FIFA rules, he could receive up to a three match suspension for violent conduct. That means he could potentially miss Portugal's first two matches of the World Cup in the group stage. That's something that Portugal will try to avoid with any means necessary. According to reports from Portugal (via The Sun), the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is working on an appeal to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which is not expected to give a decision after the international break is over (ending on Tuesday).
Portugal will base Ronaldo's defence on three arguments: the perfect record for Ronaldo (it was his first send-off after 226 international appearances for Portugal since 2003), the fact that O'Shea grabbed Ronaldo first, and lastly the "hostile environment" in Dublin and particularly the words by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, who before the match implied that Ronaldo "controlled" the referee during the previous match in Lisbon, where Portugal won 1-0. Later, Hallgrimsson said that he had "gotten into Ronaldo's head".