Over the weekend, FIFA added some surprising drama to Monday night’s round of 16 showdown between the United States and Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they announced that USMNT star striker Folarin Balogun would be eligible to play in the match despite his red card in the previous match.
While FIFA has suspended the punishment for the red card and cleared Balogun to play in Monday’s match, Belgium has expressed its frustration with the move and has not given up the fight. Ahead of Monday’s match, they have issued a bit of a warning to the United States about what could happen if Balogun is indeed in the lineup.
Balogun Eligible to Play
During the second half of last week’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun was issued a red card by VAR after stepping on an opponent’s leg while fighting for positioning.
In addition to the player being sent off in the current match, a red card carries an automatic suspension for the following match as well. However, in a highly unusual move, FIFA announced on Sunday that his punishment for the red card had been suspended. FIFA cited article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, which is the same portion of the code that FIFA used to suspend a two-match suspension for Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo before the start of the World Cup.
The move sparked widespread outrage throughout the soccer community, especially after it was reported that United States President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the foul. However, both Trump and Infantino have insisted that the call did not impact FIFA’s decision.
“All I did, I asked for a review, cause I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said during a press conference on Monday via Yahoo. “I didn’t tell them what to do, I can’t tell them what to do. … I think it was a committee that made the decision, and they made the right decision.”
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,” Infantino wrote in a statement on Monday. “During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
Belgium Sends a Warning
Following FIFA’s announcement that Balogun would be eligible to play in Monday night’s match, the Royal Belgian Football Association issued a statement explaining its disagreement with the process before indicating that it would be exploring “all potential options” in response.
“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” Belgium wrote in its statement on Sunday.
On Monday, Belgium issued a follow-up statement, warning the United States that if Balogun were in the lineup on Monday, that would leave “all further actions open.”
“To date, the RBFA has still not received any grounds for this decision, nor has it received the information it has been requesting since the start of this procedure for a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report. Which is a breach of FIFA regulations,” Belgium wrote in a statement, via The Athletic.
“The RBFA has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet. This leaves all further actions open.”
The last remaining option Belgium appears to have is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Adam Crafton of The Athletic reports. While it’s not clear how the CAS would rule, Crafton points out that it could be possible for the CAS to make a decision on the matter within hours.
As of now, though, Balogun remains eligible to play for the United States.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.