Who received the first red card in FIFA World Cup history?

Carlos Caszely received the first red card in FIFA World Cup history.

The Chilean forward was sent off during Chile’s group-stage match against West Germany at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The match took place in West Berlin on 14 June 1974 and finished 1–0 to West Germany, with Paul Breitner scoring the only goal.

Caszely’s dismissal came after he fouled Berti Vogts. The red card was shown under the tournament’s newly introduced system of colored cards, which made the punishment visibly clear to players and spectators. Referees had previously sent players off, but World Cup matches had not used red cards in the modern visual format.

A frequent mix-up concerns the first player dismissed at a World Cup and the first player shown a red card. Caszely is generally identified as the first World Cup player to receive a red card, while the tournament’s disciplinary history also includes earlier sendings-off recorded without colored cards.