USA – Folarin Balogun will be eligible to play in the United States’ round-of-16 World Cup match against Belgium after FIFA took the extraordinary step of suspending his one-game ban. The decision followed direct intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump, who reportedly held three separate phone calls with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to advocate for the striker.

Balogun had received an automatic suspension after being shown a red card for a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic during the group stage. FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to place Balogun on a one-year probationary period instead of enforcing the immediate ban.

This ruling has triggered significant backlash from the Royal Belgian Football Association, which described the move as a direct contradiction of established tournament regulations and an affront to the principles of fair play. While U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino celebrated the outcome, citing that the original sending-off was an unfair punishment, the Belgian federation has stated that it is currently investigating all potential options to challenge the decision. The Belgian association remains firm in its belief that the reversal undermines the automatic suspension rules clearly outlined in the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition regulations.