Miguel Almirón made World Cup history Friday night — just not the kind he would have liked.The Paraguay midfielder became the first player ever to be red carded for covering his mouth during a World Cup game, and was sent off late in the first half against Turkey. The ejection forced Paraguay, which held a 1-0 lead at the time, to play with 10 men for the entire second half.Even with a man disadvantage, Paraguay held on for a 1-0 win that eliminated Turkey.Almirón briefly covered his mouth when he said something to Turkey's Mert Müldür, who immediately pointed out the Paraguay midfielder committed an infraction.The referee went to the monitor and after a brief review, produced a red card for Almiron.This World Cup is the first to feature red cards for players who cover their mouths during confrontations.The rule was triggered by a February Champions League match in which Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his jersey while directing abuse at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, making it impossible for officials to verify what was said.FIFA responded by giving referees the authority to issue a red card to any player who covers his mouth during a confrontation. World Cup standingsExplore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.2026 World Cup formatThe 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concernedSuperior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concernedGreatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concernedSuperior goal difference in all group matchesGreatest number of goals scored in all group matchesHighest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtainedThe two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA Men's World RankingWorld Cup groupsGroup A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, CzechiaGroup B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, SwitzerlandGroup C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, ScotlandGroup D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, TurkeyGroup E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, EcuadorGroup F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, TunisiaGroup G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New ZealandGroup H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, UruguayGroup I: France, Senegal, Iraq, NorwayGroup J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, JordanGroup K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, ColombiaGroup L: England, Croatia, Ghana, PanamaFull rosters for 2026 World Cup teamsWorld Cup key datesGroup Stage: June 11-June 27Round of 32: June 28-July 3Round of 16: July 4-7Quarterfinals: July 9-11Semifinals: July 14-15Third-place game: July 18 (Miami Gardens, Florida)Final: July 19 (East Rutherford, New Jersey)