2025 Gold Cup Rules: Why Yellow And Red Cards Won't Affect World Cup Co-Hosts

Stars of the United States and Mexico won’t have to worry about missing out on the first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they take the field for the Concacaf Gold Cup final on Sunday (4 p.m. PT on FOX).

That’s because any potential suspension from either a red card or multiple yellow cards will be served prior to next year’s World Cup. 

In a recent change by Concacaf, players from the three 2026 World Cup co-hosts — Canada, Mexico, and the United States — can serve that suspension in the team’s next international friendly match.

The next competition for those three countries is technically the 2026 World Cup, but due to the exception outlined by FIFA for host nations, they aren’t affected by potential suspensions based on card accumulation. 

That’s particularly relevant for Canada, which won’t have Jacob Shaffelburg for its next match after he picked up two yellows in the Gold Cup quarterfinal against Guatemala. Shaffelburg would have missed out Canada’s next competitive match (their 2026 World Cup opener) but instead can serve the suspension when the team travels to Romania for a Sept. 5 friendly match.

It also makes a difference for Mexico and the U.S., which have nine combined yellow cards going into Sunday’s final (four from the U.S., five from Mexico). An additional yellow card or a red card for any of the already-cautioned players will result in a suspension for their friendlies in September. 

The change comes as a result of article 69.3 of FIFA’s disciplinary code, which states that “if a representative team is hosting a final competition and is consequently not required to participate in qualifying matches to reach the final competition of this tournament and its next official match is in that final competition, any match suspension shall be carried over to the representative team’s next friendly match.”

This differs from Concacaf’s Disciplinary Code, which states that any unserved suspensions outstanding at the end of the competition will be carried over to the “next official match of the player or team official’s National Team.” 

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