Folarin Balogun will be available for the USA’s World Cup last-16 clash with Belgium after despite being sent off in the previous round
Folarin Balogun will be free to feature against Belgium in the World Cup after his one-match suspension was handed a reprieve. United States striker Balogun was dismissed against Bosnia and Herzegovina but has successfully avoided a ban for the last-16 clash.
The former Arsenal youngster, who qualifies for the US having been born there after his mother was too far along in pregnancy to board a flight, received a straight red card for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. Under Article 10.5 of FIFA’s tournament regulations, a sending-off automatically triggers a one-match ban.
Balogun was not initially shown a red card, but referee Raphael Claus was advised by VAR to review the incident again. Having consulted the pitchside monitor, Claus ruled that Balogun had committed a “serious foul” and duly dismissed him.
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Under normal circumstances, such a decision cannot be challenged, yet it now appears that Balogun will be cleared to face Belgium with his suspension held in abeyance. FIFA have confirmed via an official statement that the striker’s ban has been suspended for 12 months.
They said: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed the following sanction on United States national-team player Folarin Balogun, who was sent off as a result of a direct red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026TM match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina played on 1 July 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium: One-match suspension for breaches of articles 14 and 66 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).
“In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period 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.”
“It’s been a rollercoaster, there’s been lots of different emotions,” Balogun told reporters before training on Friday. “I’ve been sad, I’ve been happy, it’s been surreal to be honest.
“It’s important for me to say, obviously, first and foremost, it was totally unintentional, which I’m sure a lot of people know. I don’t think it was the correct call. I think a yellow card would have been fair.”
Having anticipated being confined to an off-field role, it now appears Balogun will play a far more central part in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
“Just to support the boys, support the team,” he said. “I love seeing how engaged the country is in our journey and what we’re doing. I think my role is just to continue to support everybody, to keep morale high.”
Both Pochettino and team-mate Christian Pulisic had maintained that Balogun should never have received a red card to begin with. “For me? Never a red card,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said.
“Never an intention to step on the player. It was a normal action in football that happened by accident.
“It’s just so unfortunate, honestly,” star player Christian Pulisic said. “Looking back at it, it just seems so harsh. I just told him, he’s done so much for us, and now we got his back.”
Balogun has been a key figure in the United States’ run through the tournament to date. The 25-year-old has registered a goal contribution in every match, including three goals.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login