The 2022 World Cup semifinals have thrown up two eye-catching contests, with superstar names like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe hoping to reach the grand finale in Qatar.
All four coaches face crucial decisions on their team selections, as knockout football leaves no room for error, and extra time and penalties become increasingly frequent.
Fans will be hoping key players can avoid injury, but suspensions are also a major factor in World Cup action, with FIFA updating their rules for the 2022 tournament.
Ahead of the semifinals kicking off, The Sporting News looks at the suspension picture at Qatar 2022, and how it impacts the tournament.
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Can players be suspended for World Cup semifinals?
Rules for yellow cards have changed slightly for the 2022 World Cup with FIFA keen to avoid a player missing a final because of a suspension.
However, players can miss a semifinal, if they receive a second yellow card of the tournament at the quarterfinal stage, as per FIFA regulations for the 2022 tournament.
Argentina’s Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel both picked up their second yellows against the Netherlands and will miss a semifinal match vs Croatia as a result.
Players can also be suspended for a semifinal match, if they receive a red card in a quarterfinal game. This happened to Morocco’s Walid Cheddira who was sent off after picking up two quick yellow cards against Portugal and has been suspended for their semifinal against France.
Can players be suspended for World Cup final?
Current rules state all potential suspension situations will be wiped after the quarterfinals, meaning a player cannot miss the final, if they receive a yellow card in a last eight and a semi-final game.
However, they will miss the final if they receive a red card in either game.