FIFA has cleared United States striker Folarin Balogun to play in Tuesday's World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium after suspending his automatic one-game ban — a decision that followed a personal phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and has ignited one of the most explosive controversies of the tournament.
Balogun had been facing a mandatory suspension after receiving a straight red card — confirmed via video review — for stepping on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović during the United States' 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under FIFA's own competition regulations, a red card automatically triggers a one-game ban with no right of appeal. Yet on Sunday, football's governing body announced it was suspending that ban for a probationary period of one year, offering no specific public explanation for the extraordinary intervention.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated Trump spoke directly with Infantino on the same Wednesday that the red card was issued, urging a review of the punishment. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also publicly called for the card to be rescinded. Trump wasted no time claiming credit once the decision was announced, posting on social media: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!" It is worth noting that Infantino had previously awarded Trump the FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw, as part of a broader effort to cultivate ties with the US administration ahead of the co-hosted tournament.
Belgium 'astonished' by FIFA's reversal
The reaction from Belgium was swift and scathing. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was "astonished" by the ruling, stating bluntly that the decision is "in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations." The association said it was "investigating all potential options" to protect the rights of participating teams and uphold what it called the "fundamental principles of fair play."
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia was equally withering at a press conference, delivering a pointed April Fools' Day comparison through a translator: "I didn't know that in the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe." Garcia also made clear the association's stance extended beyond self-interest, saying the Belgian federation was not simply defending its own team but "football in general" and "her integrity, her ethics."
The RBFA's statement drew a firm line: the governing body's own rules do not permit an appeal against a red-card suspension, making FIFA's unilateral move to suspend the ban all the more remarkable — and, in Belgium's view, all the more indefensible.
US players stunned, then relieved
American players first learned of Balogun's reinstatement not through official channels but via social media posts that began appearing during the ten-minute bus ride from their hotel to training on Sunday. The news was so unexpected that some players initially doubted its authenticity.
"I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first," defender Chris Richards said. "We weren't sure if it was true or not."
The US Soccer Federation received official confirmation when FIFA sent a message through its portal at 10:31 a.m. EDT , stating: "The implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year." The notice added that if Balogun commits "another infringement of a similar nature and gravity" during that period, the suspended ban would be triggered.
US head coach Mauricio Pochettino welcomed the outcome, insisting it was the correct call on footballing grounds. "It's a fair decision because it should have never been a red card," he said, describing the original punishment as "too big" for what he characterised as an unintentional foul. Star forward Christian Pulisic , who called the reversal a "boost" for the squad, had earlier argued: "If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all. I felt like there were much worse ones that went on in this tournament."
Notably, Balogun himself had said just days earlier that the ban was "something I have to just accept" — making the last-minute reprieve all the more dramatic for the squad.
What's at stake for the co-hosts
Balogun has been the USA's most potent attacking weapon at the tournament, scoring three goals across the group stage, and his absence against Belgium in Seattle would have represented a significant blow. The stakes for the co-hosts could not be higher: the Americans have not reached the quarter-finals since 2002 and are targeting a deep run in front of a home crowd whose expectations have surged with every win.
The episode has cast a long shadow over the integrity of the competition at a delicate moment for world football. With the game's biggest stars and biggest controversies converging on a tournament already under intense scrutiny, Belgium's furious response signals the row is far from over — and that questions about political influence over sporting governance will follow this World Cup long after the final whistle.
