With the first set of World Cup 2022 Group matches over, how many red and yellow cards did the referee’s produce? We take a look at the bookings tally from the 16 opening World Cup games and also compare them to the last World Cup in Russa (2018).
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World Cup 2022 First Round Group Games Produced 54 Yellow Cards
So, with the first 16 World Cup 2022 games over, let’s take a look at how many serious fouls were committed that gave the refs no choice but to reach for their yellow cards.
The opening match between Qatar and Ecuador had six yellow cards and that went onto equal-most shown in a single game, with three other matches (see below) also having this figure.
In total, from the 16 first Group games, there were 54 yellow cards produced – which works out an average of 3.38 per game. This compares closely to the Russia 2018 Finals, where there were just two fewer, with 52 yellow cards given out (average 3.25 per game).
We only had one game in the that DIDN’T have a single yellow card from the first 16 World Cup 2022 games, which was the Germany vs Japan fixture on November 23 that ended 2-1 to Japan
World Cup Round One Group Game Total Goals (16 Matches) |
World Cup 2022 (Qatar) Yellow/Red Cards |
World Cup 2018 (Russia) Yellow/Red Cards |
Match 1: 2022 – Qatar 0-2 Ecuador / 2018 – Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia | 6 / 0 | 2 / 0 |
Match 2: 2022 – Senegal 0-2 Netherlands / 2018 – Egypt 0-1 Uruguay | 3 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
Match 3: 2022 – England 6-2 Iran / 2018 – Morocco 0-1 Iran | 2 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
Match 4: 2022 – USA 1-1 Wales / 2018 – Portugal 3-3 Spain | 6 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
Match 5: 2022 – Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia / 2018 – France 2-1 Australia | 6 / 0 | 2 / 0 |
Match 6: 2022 – Mexico 0-0 Poland / 2018 – Peru 0-1 Denmark | 3 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
Match 7: 2022 – Denmark 0-0 Tunisia / 2018 – Argentina 1-1 Iceland | 3 / 0 | 3 / 0 |
Match 8: 2022 – France 4-1 Australia / 2018 – Croatia 2-0 Nigeria | 3 / 0 | 3 / 0 |
Match 9: 2022 – Germany 1-2 Japan / 2018 – Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia | 0 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
Match 10: 2022 – Spain 7-0 Costa Rica / 2018 – Brazil 1-1 Switzerland | 2 / 0 | 4 / 0 |
Match 11: 2022 – Morocco 0-0 Croatia / 2018 – Germany 0-1 Mexico | 1 / 0 | 3 / 0 |
Match 12: 2022 – Belgium 1-0 Canada / 2018 – Sweden 1-0 South Korea | 5 / 0 | 3 / 0 |
Match 13: 2022 – Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon / 2018 – Belgium 3-0 Panama | 3 / 0 | 8 / 0 |
Match 14: 2022 – Brazil 2-0 Serbia / 2018 – Tunisia 1-2 England | 3 / 0 | 1 / 0 |
Match 15: 2022 – Uruguay 0-0 South Korea / 2018 – Colombia 1-2 Japan | 2 / 0 | 3 / 1 |
Match 16: 2022 Portugal 3-2 Ghana / 2018 – Poland 1-2 Senegal | 6 / 0 | 3 / 0 |
Totals: Yellow / Red |
54 / 0 | 52 / 1 |
Average Yellow Cards Per Match | 3.38 | 3.25 |
Which Games Saw The Most Yellow Cards From The Opening World Cup 2022 Group Fixtures?
The maximum yellow card tally from the first 16 World Cup Group games was just six!
We had four matches that saw a total of six yellow cards, which included the opening game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
The USA vs Wales match on Monday Nov 21 also has six yellow cards brandished, while in Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina the Saudi’s racked up six yellow cards too.
The final round one match to see six yellow cards was the final game between Portugal and Ghana.
No Red Cards From The First 16 World Cup 2022 Matches
The referees from the opening 16 World Cup 2022 matches might as well have left their red cards in the dressing room – not a single red was shown in the first set of matches.
Comparing this to the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia, we still only saw one red card – which was produced in the Colombia vs Japan game when Colombia’s Sanchez was given his marching orders in just the 4th minute of the game.
World Cup 2022: USNMT Round One Results and Card Tally
The USMNT faced Wales in their opening Group B match, and it ended up being one the opening games that saw the most yellow cards – six.
In a fixture that ended 1-1, referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim, from Qatar, was a busy man in terms of getting his yellow card out. He gave two to Wales, that included Gareth Bale, and four the USA side – Dest, McKenniw, Ream and Perry-Acosta.
Results For Round One Group Games: World Cup 2022
Group A
Qatar 0-2 Ecuador
Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
Group B
England 6-2 Iran
USA 1-1 Wales
Group C
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia
Mexico 0-0 Poland
Group D
Denmark 0-0 Tunisia
France 4-1 Australia
Group E
Germany 1-2 Japan
Spain 7-0 Costa Rica
Group F
Morocco 0-0 Croatia
Belgium 1-0 Canada
Group G
Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon
Brazil 2-0 Serbia
Group H
Uruguay 0-0 South Korea
Portugal 3-2 Ghana
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