aAnother incident of violence made headlines during the Mineiro Championship final between Cruzeiro and Atlótico Mineiro at the Mineiro Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which ended with 23 red cards.
Cruzeiro won 1-0 with a goal from Caio Jorge in the 60th minute, but this feat was overshadowed by an embarrassing brawl between players from both teams. Although the number of penalties is impressive, it is not the match with the most red cards in football history.
Guinness World Record: 36 people sent off in one match
In the 2026 Mineiro Championship final, 23 players were sent off, surpassing the record of 22 sent offs in the 1954 Rio São Paulo tournament between Portoguesa and Botafogo, more than 70 years ago, and leaving their mark on Brazilian history.
It all started when Atlótico Mineiro’s goalkeeper, Everson, caught the ball and was immediately tackled by Zeiro’s midfielder, Cristian. That’s when the goalie reacted. Since then, scuffles between players, substitutes and coaching staff have centered around punching, kicking and running, requiring the intervention of security and police. The match was over when things calmed down, but referee Mateus Kandaan then handed red cards to 23 players.
Christian was ejected for hitting Everson in the head with his shin with excessive force and force, and the goalie was sent off for “brutally assaulting an opponent by hitting him in the face with his knee.” The remaining 21 incidents included “acts such as punching, punching, or kicking an opponent during a huge scuffle after the match.Due to the commotion, a red card could not be shown.”
Meanwhile, the players will have to serve their respective suspensions at next year’s Mineiro Championship.
23 red cards may sound ridiculous, but there was a match in Argentina where the referee showed 36 red cards. It was almost 15 years ago, on February 27, 2011, when the teams of Claypole and Victoriano Arenas faced off in Argentina’s Primera D (the fifth and final category for clubs directly affiliated with the AFA).
After the match, a scuffle between players and substitutes ended in a harsh penalty from referee Damin Rubino, who decided to show red cards to all players from both teams, including the bench, and impose a total of 36 penalties.
This number set a record for the most red cards in soccer history, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records due to its magnitude.
Meanwhile, Cruzeiro and Atlótico Mineiro will face off again on May 3rd in Brasileirão.
