FIFA cleared Folarin Balogun to face Belgium in Monday night’s World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after President Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday July 1 — the day of the Bosnia-Herzegovina match — to ask the governing body to review the striker’s red card. The reversal, announced Sunday July 5, has split reaction sharply: relief in the USA camp, accusations of favoritism from Belgium, and a formal statement of disbelief from UEFA.
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FIFA’s U-Turn: A Presidential Call Changes the Bracket
Balogun received his red card in the 64th minute of the USA’s 2–0 Round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday July 1, for a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemović that was reviewed and upheld by VAR. Under normal disciplinary procedure, that red card carried an automatic one-match suspension — ruling him out of Monday’s Round of 16 tie with Belgium.
On Wednesday, following the match, Trump called Infantino directly and asked FIFA to review the decision. That call was first reported by The New York Times. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, also spoke to Infantino, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was separately in communication with FIFA. On Sunday July 5, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced it was deferring Balogun’s suspension, citing Article 27 of its disciplinary code. The ban has not been revoked: FIFA’s statement confirmed the suspension is deferred for a probationary period of one year, meaning if Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature during that period, the original ban is reinstated alongside any new sanction.
The reversal — first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by U.S. Soccer — is only the second known instance in more than 60 years of World Cup football of FIFA lifting a red card suspension. The only previous precedent was Brazil’s Garrincha, cleared to play in the 1962 World Cup final after being sent off in the semifinal.
What Balogun’s Return Means for USA’s Attack
USA advanced from Group D alongside Australia, Paraguay, and Turkey, before beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2–0 in the Round of 32 — the match in which Balogun scored the opening goal before receiving his red card. Belgium came through Group G with Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand. The two sides have not faced each other at this tournament until Monday’s Round of 16 tie in Seattle.
Balogun’s reinstatement restores USA’s first-choice striker to the biggest game of the tournament to date, removing a lineup question that had hung over the team since Wednesday. Without him, the coaching staff would have had to reshuffle the frontline for an elimination match against a Belgium side that reached the knockout rounds on the strength of a defensively organised campaign. His presence restores the attacking shape built around him and is the direct driver of any shift in how the tie is priced.
Belgium and UEFA: The Reaction
The Royal Belgian Football Association issued a formal statement calling FIFA’s decision “astonishing,” arguing it directly contradicts Article 66.4 of FIFA’s own disciplinary code, which states a red card automatically results in a suspension for the team’s next match — as has been the case for every other red card issued at this World Cup. Belgium also pointed to FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, distributed to all participating associations in May 2026, which explicitly reaffirmed the automatic nature of such suspensions. FIFA have since granted Belgium the right to appeal, with a member of FIFA’s appeals committee set to hear the case.
UEFA went further. In a formal statement, Europe’s governing body said it “expressed disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” adding that “when the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake.” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia, at a Sunday press conference, said: “I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th of July is actually the first of April.”
The broader fairness debate is less about the letter of the disciplinary code and more about optics: a sitting U.S. president intervening directly in a FIFA disciplinary matter — supported by other government officials — is close to unprecedented, and it is an angle that has dominated coverage as much as any tactical preview of the match.
How the Market Is Reading the Reinstatement
With Balogun restored, the outright market for the USA–Belgium tie is the clearest place to look for how bettors are digesting the news — a team getting its top striker back at late notice tends to see its knockout-round odds tighten, and bettors have priced USA as a stronger side than they appeared heading into the weekend. The US are currently priced at 30.7 odds to win the tournament outright, far behind favorites France, Argentina, and England.
Zooming out, tournament-wide data shows how bettors have actually been engaging with World Cup 2026 across hundreds of thousands of recorded bets. Match odds account for 31% of all bets placed — more than double any other single market — with total goals (16%) and correct score (13%) also drawing heavy volume. Asian handicap (11%), both teams to score (7%), and total corners (6%) round out the picture. A headline change like a reinstated star striker feeds most directly into exactly the markets bettors already gravitate toward, which is why match odds and total goals tend to see the sharpest reaction to news like this.
The USA–Belgium Round of 16 just got a lot more interesting, and the market is moving in real time as kickoff approaches. Track live odds and bet on the action as it unfolds on Cloudbet.
