The U.S. men's national team received a major boost ahead of its FIFA World Cup Round of 16 showdown with Belgium after FIFA (reportedly after some input from Donald Trump) unexpectedly undid Folarin Balogun's one-match ban, making the star striker eligible to play.
Balogun had been facing an automatic suspension after receiving a controversial red card during the Americans' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. The forward was sent off after stepping on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović's foot, a decision that sparked widespread debate among players, fans and analysts.
FIFA announced Sunday that while Balogun's suspension remains on the books, its enforcement has been deferred under a one-year probationary period. The governing body said the suspension would only be activated if Balogun commits another offense of a similar nature and severity during that time.
The surprise ruling drew a response from Donald Trump, who publicly praised FIFA's decision. Trump, who received FIFA's inaugural Peace Prize from FIFA president Gianni Infantino in late 2025, posted on Truth Social: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
In fact, Trump may have done more than just praise the decision. He may have directly advocated for it. Multiple media outlets including the Associated Press and ABC reported that the White House called FIFA directly in order to ask Infantino to review the red card call.
The decision reportedly caught members of the U.S. squad off guard. Players first learned Balogun would be available while traveling by team bus to training after social media posts began circulating about FIFA's ruling.
"I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first," U.S. defender Chris Richards said. "We weren't sure if it was true or not."
The team’s forward Christian Pulisic also questioned the original red card.
"If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all," Pulisic said. "I felt like there was much worse ones that went on this tournament."
Balogun has been one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Cup, recording three goals through three matches. His goal against Bosnia matched Landon Donovan's three-goal total at the 2010 World Cup, leaving him one behind Bert Patenaude's U.S. record of four goals at a single tournament, set in 1930.
The 25-year-old, who plays for AS Monaco, was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents before growing up in England. After representing England at the youth level, he switched his international allegiance to the United States in 2023 and has since become one of the USMNT's most dangerous attacking threats.
