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. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Sophia Flores 
10:50 AM – Monday, July 6, 2026

In a win for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT), FIFA has officially cleared star striker Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, throwing out the Royal Belgian Football Association’s (RBFA) procedural challenge.

On Monday, Belgium formally challenged the decision to lift the red card against the star U.S. player, saying they had “no alternative but to challenge (Balogun’s) eligibility for the upcoming match.” However, they were met with disappointing news when FIFA dismissed their appeal.

RBFA’s challenge “was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in response.

This decision comes after President Donald Trump revealed that he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card given to Balogun, as he “didn’t think it was a foul.”

 

“I saw the play, and I’m a person that loves sports … that wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction … this referee, who is a little bit suspect if you check his past,” Trump said. “He made a call that nobody could believe … he’s our best player, or one of our best players. And he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant … yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. [Balogun] didn’t do anything wrong, and he’s our best player or one of our best players.”

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