2025-26 Red Card Tracker (Preliminary Version)
Image Credit: Alfonso Scarpa
Football — also known as soccer — is called The beautiful game for good reason: it unites people and provides entertainment through high-pace dribbling, fancy footwork impeccable athleticism and, at times, spectacular passes and goals. However, the game also includes an ugly side — from reckless or violent tackles, to tactical fouls that deny obvious goalscoring opportunities, to blatant unsportsmanlike conduct. Such conduct may include classless dissent or verbal abuse toward match officials, fights and, most unfortunately, discriminatory language.
Such incidents result in either a warning from match officials, a yellow card or — most severely — a red card. The latter may entail a video review by the main referee — courtesy of video assistant referee — prior to the fateful decision. For newcomers to the game, a yellow card serves as a warning and a red card is an immediate expulsion from the match, resulting in a one-match suspension at the very least; the length of these suspensions vary based on the severity of the incident that led to the red card. A player who accumulates two yellow cards in a single match is also expelled and generally serves a one-match suspension. In such cases, the suspension is usually limited to one match because the second yellow is typically the result of a less severe offence than a one stemming from a direct red card.
Players receive direct red cards for violent tackles — including those involving studs above the ankle level or two feet while lunging into the player, and deliberate elbow swings or head-butts to any part of the body. Other offences worthy of a red card include verbal abuse to match officials, discriminatory language toward any individual or denying an opponent an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Although red cards occur sporadically, when accounting for 18 to 20 clubs in a league, they accumulate rather quickly (more often than anyone would like). Moreover, the accumulation of red cards — as well as yellow cards — affects a club’s fair-play score, which in turn influences its reputation and chances of earning fair-play awards, both on an individual level for players and on a collective level for the club.
Like our other active trackers — the 2025-26 Derby Tracker, 2025-26 Sacked Managers Tracker and January 2026 Transfers Tracker — the 2025-26 Red Card Tracker covers clubs from Europe’s top five leagues:
Bundesliga (Germany);
LaLiga (Spain);
Ligue 1 (France);*
Premier League (EPL);** and
Serie A (Italy).
However, in one section of our tracker includes red cards accumulated in competitions beyond league action, including domestic cup and super cup competitions. It also comprises red cards picked up by clubs participating in the prestigious UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
This tracker is a preliminary version, and is subject to updates and additional data analysis.
Red Cards Accumulated, by League
So far, some clubs have proven notably undisciplined, mustering far more red cards than anyone would like — or expect. For example, as of March 7, 2026, EPL club Chelsea have accumulated a whopping nine red cards in all competitions, the highest total among all clubs from Europe’s top five leagues. Seven of those red cards occurred in league matches. Elsewhere such clubs as LaLiga club Girona FC and Rayo Vallecano, and Serie A club SS Lazio have each accumulated seven red cards, respectively. However, LaLiga club Real Oviedo currently lead all clubs in red card accumulation in league action, with eight red cards.
That said, when combining these clubs with their respective opponents in their leagues, LaLiga clubs have collectively accumulated the highest number of red cards between the five leagues, totalling 78. Bundesliga clubs and EPL clubs have each accumulated the lowest number of red cards, at 36 each.
Figure 1 shows the number of red cards accumulated by clubs in each of the five European leagues mentioned above.
Note: This figure was last updated on March 9, 2026.
Source: Transfermarkt
Red Cards Accumulated in League Action, by Club
With respect to clubs by themselves, the aforementioned clubs are evidently the leaders in this category. Other clubs include Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, Ligue 1 clubs AJ Auxerre, AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais, and LaLiga club Real Madrid. These clubs have had the displeasure to muster six red cards, each.
Figure 2 presents the 10 clubs that have accumulated the highest number of red cards in league action.
Note: This figure was last updated on March 9, 2026.
Source: Transfermarkt
Players Who Accumulated More Than One Red Card in All Competitions in 2025-26
Receiving more than one red card in a single season is relatively rare.. However, some players exceed that mark and acumulate multiple red cards and suspensions in a season — particularly when competing in several competitions.
The players who play for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues and have received more than one red card in all competitions are:
Dominik Kohr (Defender, FSV Mainz), X2
Johan Manzambi (Midfielder, SC Freiburg), X2
Paul Nebel (Forward/midfielder, Mainz), X2
Niklas Stark (Midfielder/defender, Werder Bremen), X2
Fábio Vieira (Midfielder, Hamburger SV), X2
Christian Romero (Defender, Tottenham Hotspur), X2
Federico Viñas (Forward, Real Oviedo), X3
Pathé Ciss (Midfielder, Rayo Vallecano), X2
Íñigo Lekue (Defender, Athletic Club), X2
Thibault De Smet (Defender, Paris FC), X2
Ismaël Doukouré, (Midfielder/defender, RC Strasbourg), X
Thilo Kehrer (Defender, AS Monaco), X2
Sadibou Sané (Defender, FC Metz), X2
Mariano Troilo (Defender, Parma Calcio), X2
With just over two months remaining in the 2025-26 season, it will be interesting to see which players and clubs remain disciplined during the business end of the season.
*Ligue 1 also includes AS Monaco, which are based in the Principality of Monaco.
**The EPL may include a number of clubs from Wales. These clubs, which currently participate in one of the English Football League’s top four divisions, include EFL Championship clubs Swansea City and Wrexham AFC, EFL League One club Cardiff City and EFL League Two club Newport County. That said, there are no Welsh clubs competing in the EPL for the 2025-26 season.
