Quick answer: the average football match has 4.2 yellow cards. Across 9,545 league matches in 29 leagues from the 2025/26 season, away teams received 2.21 yellows per match and home teams 1.95. Only 1.41 came in the first half. The most common total was four, and 40.9% of matches went over 4.5 yellows.
Leagues range from 5.35 per match in Argentina to 2.45 in Japan's J1 League.
Data: StatPair match database · 29 domestic leagues · 2025/26 season (2025 for leagues that run on the calendar year) · league matches only · Updated: 21 October 2026
TL;DR
- The average is 4.16 yellow cards per match (9,545 matches). The median is 4. A red card was shown in 17.5% of matches.
- Away teams get more cards: 2.21 against 1.95, in 28 of 29 leagues, and even in the matches they won.
- Two thirds of yellows come after half-time. First half 1.41, second half 2.75. In 26.5% of matches nobody was booked before the break.
- Leagues range from 2.45 to 5.35. Highest: Argentina, Segunda División (5.18), Greece (5.08). Lowest: J1 League, Eredivisie (3.23), Danish Superliga (3.32).
- Referee tables exaggerate. Without sampling noise, referees in a league differ by about 0.47 yellows per match. Those who had run 1.15 above average went on to run 0.26 above.
How we measured it
Which matches. The same selection as our corners by league table: every domestic league with at least 150 matches in its latest completed season, league matches only (no cups, friendlies or European games). The sample runs from 23 January 2025 to 20 June 2026, and every match had first-half card data and a named referee.
What counts. Yellow cards over 90 minutes plus added time. A player sent off for two bookings counts as two yellows (730 cases). Where we quote "cards", a red counts as one card.
A check. For the eight leagues in our league-by-league betting comparison, the figures are identical (Premier League 3.83, Primeira Liga 4.96). With 21 more leagues, though, Primeira Liga is no longer the top cards league. It ranks fifth.
Yellow cards per match: full league table
| League | Matches | Yellows | Home | Away | 1st half | Over 3.5 | Over 4.5 | Over 5.5 | Red shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina Liga Profesional | 434 | 5.35 | 2.47 | 2.88 | 1.96 | 78.3% | 65.4% | 46.1% | 22.4% |
| Segunda División | 460 | 5.18 | 2.55 | 2.63 | 1.77 | 75.7% | 60.2% | 43.7% | 24.6% |
| Greek Super League | 232 | 5.08 | 2.32 | 2.75 | 1.81 | 75.0% | 55.2% | 38.4% | 24.1% |
| Brazil Serie B | 212 | 5.07 | 2.45 | 2.62 | 1.86 | 74.1% | 56.6% | 37.7% | 23.1% |
| Primeira Liga | 299 | 4.96 | 2.50 | 2.46 | 1.57 | 71.6% | 54.8% | 35.5% | 20.1% |
| Brasileirão Série A | 309 | 4.94 | 2.36 | 2.58 | 1.82 | 73.1% | 58.9% | 40.5% | 20.7% |
| Israeli Ligat Ha'al | 236 | 4.89 | 2.38 | 2.51 | 1.94 | 74.6% | 54.2% | 38.1% | 30.9% |
| Liga MX | 264 | 4.64 | 2.27 | 2.38 | 1.73 | 68.6% | 48.1% | 33.0% | 29.5% |
| Süper Lig | 298 | 4.60 | 2.15 | 2.46 | 1.58 | 63.4% | 44.3% | 30.9% | 19.1% |
| Serie B (Italy) | 388 | 4.45 | 2.02 | 2.43 | 1.62 | 66.2% | 48.2% | 29.1% | 19.3% |
| La Liga | 365 | 4.43 | 2.05 | 2.38 | 1.38 | 61.6% | 45.2% | 29.3% | 22.5% |
| MLS | 437 | 4.20 | 2.03 | 2.17 | 1.39 | 62.2% | 44.2% | 22.9% | 16.5% |
| Romanian Liga I | 308 | 4.17 | 1.98 | 2.19 | 1.36 | 61.0% | 39.6% | 26.9% | 17.9% |
| Croatian HNL | 176 | 4.12 | 1.95 | 2.17 | 1.36 | 58.0% | 40.3% | 24.4% | 18.8% |
| Ekstraklasa | 302 | 4.10 | 1.90 | 2.20 | 1.30 | 56.6% | 41.1% | 27.8% | 14.2% |
| Saudi Pro League | 268 | 4.01 | 1.93 | 2.07 | 1.51 | 60.1% | 38.4% | 22.4% | 22.4% |
| Scottish Premiership | 222 | 3.98 | 1.82 | 2.16 | 1.16 | 56.8% | 36.0% | 23.0% | 17.1% |
| Belgian Pro League | 300 | 3.88 | 1.73 | 2.15 | 1.20 | 52.0% | 37.0% | 20.3% | 17.3% |
| Premier League | 374 | 3.83 | 1.71 | 2.13 | 1.18 | 56.4% | 35.8% | 20.6% | 10.4% |
| League Two | 555 | 3.83 | 1.76 | 2.06 | 1.28 | 53.7% | 36.4% | 18.4% | 13.5% |
| Bundesliga | 303 | 3.83 | 1.85 | 1.98 | 1.18 | 52.5% | 34.0% | 17.8% | 16.2% |
| Championship | 547 | 3.76 | 1.66 | 2.10 | 1.20 | 50.8% | 32.0% | 18.3% | 9.3% |
| Ligue 1 | 300 | 3.75 | 1.73 | 2.02 | 1.35 | 54.0% | 31.7% | 14.7% | 22.7% |
| League One | 551 | 3.74 | 1.77 | 1.97 | 1.28 | 52.8% | 33.6% | 17.4% | 10.3% |
| Serie A (Italy) | 373 | 3.69 | 1.72 | 1.97 | 1.18 | 52.0% | 31.1% | 16.4% | 14.2% |
| A-League Men | 160 | 3.68 | 1.80 | 1.88 | 1.19 | 50.6% | 27.5% | 18.1% | 10.0% |
| Danish Superliga | 192 | 3.32 | 1.50 | 1.82 | 1.02 | 42.7% | 26.6% | 10.9% | 14.1% |
| Eredivisie | 301 | 3.23 | 1.38 | 1.85 | 1.07 | 38.5% | 22.6% | 13.6% | 15.9% |
| J1 League | 379 | 2.45 | 1.15 | 1.30 | 0.89 | 26.6% | 9.5% | 2.4% | 7.4% |
| All 29 leagues | 9,545 | 4.16 | 1.95 | 2.21 | 1.41 | 59.0% | 40.9% | 25.2% | 17.5% |
Yellow cards per match. "Red shown" is the share of matches with at least one red card. Argentina, both Brazilian leagues, MLS and the J1 League are the 2025 season; the rest are 2025/26.
The card-heavy leagues
Argentina led with 5.35 yellows per match, and 46.1% of its matches had six or more. Spain's Segunda División showed 0.75 more yellows per match than La Liga. At the other end, Japan's J1 League is in a class of its own at 2.45: only 9.5% of its matches went over 4.5, and 35 (9.2%) had no booking at all. The Premier League (3.83) sat in the bottom half.
Red cards don't follow yellows. There were 1,902 reds, 0.20 per match. Ligue 1 had the seventh-fewest yellows but a red in 22.7% of matches, while the Premier League (10.4%) and the Championship (9.3%) were among the lowest.
Fouls explain most of it, but not Serie A. Across the 29 leagues, fouls and yellows per match had a correlation of 0.76. Yet Serie A had as many fouls as Argentina (25.3 per match) and 1.66 fewer yellows: Italian referees booked 1.46 players per 10 fouls, against 2.12 in Argentina. A league's foul count is a guide, but its referees' threshold matters as much.
How many yellow cards are there in a match?
| Total yellow cards | Matches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | 968 | 10.1% |
| 2-3 | 2,941 | 30.8% |
| 4-5 | 3,230 | 33.8% |
| 6-7 | 1,716 | 18.0% |
| 8 or more | 690 | 7.2% |
The most common total was four (18.1%). Only 261 matches (2.7%) had no yellow. The standard deviation was 2.2 cards, so even a good baseline is often two cards out.
The record in our sample was 16 yellows, in Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 Hajduk Split on 6 December 2025, with 10 for Hajduk.
Main lines and fair odds (all 29 leagues)
Fair odds = 100 ÷ probability. A 40% chance is worth 100 ÷ 40 = 2.50. If the bookmaker offers more than your fair odds, the bet may have value.
| Market | Landed | Fair odds |
|---|---|---|
| Over 3.5 yellows | 59.0% | 1.69 |
| Over 4.5 yellows | 40.9% | 2.44 |
| Over 5.5 yellows | 25.2% | 3.97 |
| Over 4.5 cards (yellow and red = 1 each) | 43.8% | 2.28 |
| Over 40.5 booking points (10 per yellow, 25 per red) | 47.3% | 2.11 |
| Home team over 1.5 yellows | 58.3% | 1.72 |
| Away team over 1.5 yellows | 65.5% | 1.53 |
| First half over 0.5 yellows | 73.5% | 1.36 |
| First half over 1.5 yellows | 41.4% | 2.42 |
By league, fair odds for over 4.5 yellows ranged from 1.53 in Argentina to 2.79 in the Premier League, 3.22 in Serie A and 10.53 in the J1 League. Booking points averaged 46.6 per match. Bookmakers treat second yellows differently, so check the rules; our booking points guide explains the main systems.
Home vs away yellow cards
Away teams received 2.21 yellows per match and home teams 1.95. The away side was booked more in 44.5% of matches and the home side in 32.9%. The away team got more yellows in 28 of 29 leagues; the only exception was the Primeira Liga (2.50 home, 2.46 away). The gap was widest in the Eredivisie (1.38 against 1.85).
This isn't just losing teams chasing the game. In the 2,854 matches the away team won, it still received 2.22 yellows against 1.98 for the home side. Winners and losers overall were almost level (2.02 and 2.08).
What does move the total is how close the game is. Draws averaged 4.33 yellows (2,522 matches) and one-goal games 4.40 (3,794), against 3.41 for wins by three or more (1,300).