FIFA clears Folarin Balogun to play for USMNT against Belgium
Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (
Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban was suspended by FIFA on Sunday, allowing the forward to play in the United States’ World Cup round of 16 game against Belgium on Monday.
The backstory:
Balogun was shown a straight red card in Wednesday's victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina after stepping on the right ankle of defender Tarik Muharemovic.
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World Cup: USMNT beats Bosnia and Herzegovina
LiveNOW was watching as the United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup. Goals from Folarin Balogun in the closing moments of the first half and Malik Tillman in the 82nd minute sealed the win for the USA. The victory now sets up a match on Monday in Seattle against Belgium. LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg is speaking with Caroline Elliott from Fox News as fans outside the stadium in San Francisco share their thoughts on the match.
What they're saying:
Speaking before training at Husky Soccer Stadium, the U.S. striker said he believed the challenge warranted a yellow card rather than a dismissal.
"There's nowhere else to put your leg. It's going to be unavoidable," Balogun said. "I've seen many different opinions and takes. But, for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair. It's something that's happened, so we have to move forward and I have to accept it."
RELATED: FIFA makes final ruling on US soccer star Folarin Balogun's controversial red card suspension
Dig deeper:
Under FIFA rules, a straight red card carries an automatic one-match suspension. Because FIFA did not impose any additional disciplinary action, Balogun will be eligible to return for the quarterfinals if the United States advances past Belgium.
Despite the suspension, Balogun has been one of the tournament's standout performers. He has scored three goals, including the opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina, matching Landon Donovan's three-goal total from the 2010 World Cup for the second-most goals by an American in a single tournament. Only Bert Patenaude, who scored four goals at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, has scored more for the United States in one tournament.
Balogun celebrated his goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina with LeBron James' signature "Silencer" gesture, a celebration the NBA's all-time leading scorer later acknowledged on social media. The Arsenal-born forward also became the first American to score twice in a World Cup match since Patenaude accomplished the feat in 1930.
Balogun described the days following the match as an emotional whirlwind but said he wanted to respond with composure.
"Been upset, I've been happy. It's been surreal, to be honest," Balogun said. "But for me, I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There's still lots of people who are inspiring little kids, boys and girls who are watching. We have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it's unjust."
The Source: The information in this story comes primarily from a FOX Sports report citing multiple sources that said FIFA cleared Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium. This story was reported from Los Angeles.