Cruzeiro vs. Atlético Mineiro: What was the game with the most red cards in soccer history?

A nother case of violence stole the show in the final of the Mineiro Championship between Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro , played at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in a match that ended with 23 red cards .

Although Cruzeiro won 1-0 with a goal by Kaio Jorge in the 60th minute, this feat was overshadowed by the embarrassing brawl between players from both teams. And although the number of penalties is astonishing, it is not the game with the most red cards in soccer history.

Guinness World Records: 36 players sent off in a single match

The final of the 2026 Mineiro Championship made history in Brazil, as with 23 players sent off, it surpassed the record of 22 sendings-off in a match played more than 70 years ago between Portuguesa and Botafogo in the 1954 Rio-Sao Paulo tournament .

It all started when Everson , Atlético Mineiro's goalkeeper, caught the ball and was immediately tackled by Christian , Zeiro's midfielder. That's when the goalkeeper reacted. From then on, punches, kicks, and running between players, substitutes, and coaching staff took center stage in a brawl that required security and police intervention. After tempers calmed down, the match ended, but afterwards, referee Matheus Candaçan decided to punish 23 players with red cards .

Christian was sent off for hitting Everson "in the head with his shin, with excessive force and high intensity," and the goalkeeper for "brutally assaulting his opponent, hitting him in the face with his knee." The other 21 were "for hitting, punching, and kicking opponents during the general brawl after the end of the match; it was not possible to show the red card due to the commotion."

Meanwhile, the players will have to serve their respective suspensions in next year's Mineiro Championship .

Although 23 red cards may sound absurd, there was a match in Argentina in which the referee showed 36 . It happened almost fifteen years ago, on February 27, 2011, when the Claypole and Victoriano Arenas teams faced each other in the Primera D of Argentine soccer (the fifth and last category for clubs directly affiliated with the AFA).

After the game, a fight between players and substitutes ended with a harsh penalty from referee Damián Rubino , who decided to show red cards to all the players on both teams, including those on the bench, for a total of 36 penalties .

This number set the record for the most red cards in soccer history and, due to its magnitude, is listed in the Guinness World Records .

Meanwhile, Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro will face each other again on May 3 in the Brasileirao.