American soccer star forward Folarin Balogun has been reinstated for Monday’s highly anticipated round-of-16 World Cup match against Belgium after his one-game red-card ban was suspended, U.S. Soccer confirmed.
The forward and U.S. Men’s National Team’s leading FIFA World Cup 2026 goalscorer was previously set to serve a one-match suspension after receiving a controversial red card for stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday.
The move triggered an automatic one-game suspension, but FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match. Days before the reversal, NBC News sources said President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked that he review the suspension. The move ultimately led to praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium’s team and some in the international soccer community.
A statement from FIFA said the one-game suspension will instead be a probationary period for Balogun of one year.
“If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement,” FIFA’s statement said.
The USMNT also released a statement, saying it “accepts the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow.”
“Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans,” it said.
The statement went on to say that a “near-full-strength” USMNT team will face the experienced Belgium side in Seattle in a do-or-die match Monday.
According to FIFA, the reversal comes with
Ahead of the game, here’s a recap of what went down, and what to know for Monday’s game.
Why did Balogun get a red card?
In soccer, when a player receives a red card, or two yellow cards in the same game, they are ejected from the contest. Typically those cards are given out for major infractions, such as a deliberate use of the hands to hit the ball, a serious foul on the field of play, or a denial of a clear scoring opportunity.
When a player receives a red card in a World Cup game, they are automatically suspended for their team’s following match. During the match the card is thrown, the team that receives it has to play one player short.
Balogun’s red card during Wednesday’s game sparked a debate over whether the foul should have been deemed intentional or just a hard tackle that would have justified a warning with a yellow card.
“It never was intentional,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that never was. It was a normal action in football that you are fighting for the ball and your feet land.”
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