Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be available for his team’s opening matches at next year’s World Cup after FIFA suspended the remaining two games of his three-match ban.

The 40-year-old striker was shown a red card in Portugal’s crucial qualifying match against Ireland earlier this month for an elbow on Dara O’Shea, which led to a 2-0 defeat.

As a result, Ronaldo missed Portugal’s final qualifying game, a 9-1 victory over Armenia that secured their World Cup spot.

FIFA confirmed that Ronaldo had initially received a three-match suspension, but under a one-year probationary period, the final two matches will not be enforced unless he commits a similar offense.

“In line with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the serving of the two remaining matches has been suspended.

Should Ronaldo commit another similar offense during the probation, the remaining suspension will be applied immediately,” FIFA stated.

This decision allows Ronaldo to focus on representing his country at the World Cup while encouraging disciplined conduct on the field.