REUTERS/Phil Noble TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 32 - United States v Bosnia and Herzegovina - San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California, U.S. - July 1, 2026 Folarin Balogun of the U.S. celebrates scoring their first goal
The United States Men’s National Team received a massive break on Sunday when FIFA announced that it had rescinded the controversial red card given to star striker Folarin Balogun in the round of 32 World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The red card not only meant the U.S. had to play a man down for more than 30 minutes against Bosnia, but also that Balogun would be ineligible for the round of 16 matchup with Belgium.
However, the United States government quickly stepped in, forming a legal challenge against the suspension on the grounds that the referees for the match did not properly follow protocol.
FIFA then agreed, using Article 27 of its disciplinary code to place Balogun on a one-year probationary period and rescind the one-game suspension.
Unsurprisingly, Belgium was not particularly happy with this ruling.
“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match,” the RBFA said in a statement.
Now, the country is taking its own legal action.
FIFA Allows Belgium To Appeal Ruling On Folarin Balogun Red Card
On Monday morning, Adam Crafton of The Athletic reported that FIFA had granted Belgium the right to appeal the decision.
“Belgium has appealed against FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-game ban handed to Folarin Balogun, less than 24 hours out from the team’s round of 16 game against the United States,” Crafton wrote.
FIFA gave both Belgium and the U.S. until 8 a.m. EST on Monday morning to submit evidence for review.
A member of the FIFA appeals committee, particularly one not representing either UEFA or CONCACAF, will then hear the appeal and make a ruling.
Should Belgium win its appeal, Balogun’s red card suspension will be reinstated, and the USMNT will have to play without him on Monday night.
As of the time of writing, no verdict had been reached. BroBible will continue to monitor this story and update as needed throughout the day.