FIFA rejects – FIFA has rejected the Belgian FA’s appeal against the one-match ban for USA striker Folarin Balogun, clearing him to face Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday. The turnaround followed Donald Trump’s call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which he l
The World Cup felt like it changed shape overnight in San Francisco Bay Area Stadium’s aftermath—one red card, one ban, then a sudden reversal that left Belgium stunned.
USA striker Folarin Balogun will now be available for the United States’ crucial World Cup round of 16 game against Belgium in Seattle on Monday after FIFA rejected an appeal launched by the Belgian FA. FIFA declared the Belgian FA’s case inadmissible, allowing the earlier decision suspending Balogun’s one-match ban to stand.
The episode exploded into farce on Sunday after it emerged Donald Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the one-match ban imposed on Balogun following a red card during the USA’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 July 2026. Minutes after the announcement that the suspension had been lifted. Trump posted: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right. and reversing a great injustice!. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”.
White House sources confirmed to the Daily Mail that Trump reached out to Infantino before FIFA’s suspension was overturned, with the President later confirming the news himself at a Monday press conference.
Belgium’s reaction was swift and angry. Shortly after Sunday’s announcement, the Royal Belgian Football Association launched an appeal. By Monday morning, the Belgian FA found out that FIFA had rejected it.
In a statement. the Belgian FA said: “The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has received the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee. signed by its member Mr Salman Al-Ansari. which declares the RBFA’s case inadmissible and confirms the earlier decision allowing United States player Folarin Balogun to play.”.
The RBFA said it still had not received the grounds for FIFA’s decision. and also said it had been denied information it had been requesting since the start of the procedure—specifically “a copy of the decision and the motivation declaring the player eligible as well as the referee’s report.” The Belgian FA called that a breach of FIFA regulations.
It added that it had informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests Balogun’s eligibility if the player is listed on the referee’s team sheet, “leaves all further actions open.”
The Daily Mail reported that if Balogun starts for the USA on Monday night, Belgium will still go through with the match rather than refuse. Sources close to the team said Belgium were considering taking legal action and referring the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
FIFA released its own explanation for the rejection. The FIFA Appeal Committee. FIFA said. had rendered the Belgian FA’s request inadmissible in relation to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to suspend—one year—“the match suspension imposed on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun following his dismissal for a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina. played on 1 July 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.”.
FIFA said the request was inadmissible because the RBFA is “not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
That final point sharpened the controversy because the Belgian FA had claimed just hours earlier that it did not actually submit the appeal. It said it had asked FIFA for more information and that FIFA registered it as an official appeal.
The dispute ties back to how the turnaround from the ban began.
Hours before FIFA’s verdict. the Belgian FA accused FIFA of making the appeal “inadmissible.” The RBFA said it had learned through media reports that FIFA had lifted the automatic suspension of Balogun. so it sent a letter requesting a copy of the decision. an explanation of the process that had been followed. and its position on the applicable regulations.
As its only response, the RBFA said FIFA sent a letter stating it considered the correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete the appeal. The Belgian FA said no information was provided.
The RBFA argued that for an appeal to be admissible, FIFA regulations require the reasoned decision to be communicated to the appellant first. It said the RBFA was “merely seeking legitimate explanations,” while FIFA “itself created an appeal” and ensured it would be declared inadmissible.
The statement ended with a warning tone: “Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match. the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events and will continue to fight in the coming hours. days and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics. fair competition. and the interests of football as a whole.”.
The political gravity of the story intensified with Trump’s intervention. Trump admitted at the press conference that he spoke to Gianni about the review. “Yeah, I did, I spoke to Gianni. I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump said. “That’s all I did.”
He added that he believed the incident did not deserve punishment: “And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed who happened to crash into each other.”
Trump said Balogun “didn’t do anything wrong” and called him “our best player, or one of our best players, a very vital player,” before describing the red card as wrong.
After Trump’s admission, FIFA president Gianni Infantino offered his own explanation on Monday. “Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States,” he said. “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 said he explained that an ongoing legal process was underway within FIFA’s independent judicial bodies, and that the case would be decided “in due course by the competent bodies.” He added: “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
Belgium’s own leadership was drawn into the tension. Pascale Van Damme, the Belgian FA president and a member of the FIFA Council, is understood to have flown to Seattle on Sunday as discussions continued.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia delivered a blunt assessment later in the day. “I didn’t know that at the World Cup the 5th July is now April 1st and is now April Fool’s Day. ” Garcia said. “We are defending football – its ethics and history. It’s the first time in WC history that such a decision has been taken…”.
When asked about allegations that Trump influenced FIFA’s decision, Garcia responded: “Don’t waste your time talking about that… if you have any football questions we will answer that but for the rest please go to the [FA].”
The football facts at the center of it all were straightforward, even if the consequences became chaotic.
Balogun, 25, was sent off during the USA’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday following a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. Replays, the report said, showed Balogun appeared to scrape his cleats down his rival’s leg, even though the tackle initially looked innocuous.
That red card produced the one-match ban—until FIFA reversed it on Sunday. FIFA’s statement said that in line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. the implementation of the match suspension was suspended for a probationary period of one year. FIFA said that if Balogun “commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity” during the probationary period. the suspension would be revoked and the sanction enforced. “without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”.
In response. the USMNT said: “We accept 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.”.
USA are seeking their first World Cup quarterfinal appearance since 2002. The report says many consider Monday night’s game the biggest ever in US soccer.
The American side received the decision on Sunday morning, but not in a way that matched the historic stakes. The Daily Mail said the USMNT were informed about the decision on Sunday morning, but the squad were not told straight away and only later found out through social media.
For now, the round of 16 game moves forward with Balogun available, FIFA’s appeal decision closing Belgium’s immediate path to overturning the eligibility.
One red card from 1 July has become a dispute over procedure, access to information, and who gets to pull the timeline forward—right up until kickoff in Seattle on Monday.
Folarin Balogun Belgium FA FIFA Appeal Committee Gianni Infantino Donald Trump USA vs Belgium World Cup 2026 Tarik Muharemovic Round of 16 Court of Arbitration for Sport