Big boost for USMNT ! Folarin Balogun available for Belgium game after FIFA lifts suspension | Other Sports News

In a major boost for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), FIFA has suspended the red card US striker Folarin Balogun received in the team’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, making him available to face Belgium in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Folarin Balogun, the 25-year-old Monaco forward found himself at the center of the tournament’s biggest disciplinary controversy after receiving a straight red card in the 64th minute of the USA’s 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. 

Balogun was sent off following a VAR review for accidentally stepping on the ankle of defender Tarik Muharemović.  Because the US Soccer Federation had no formal avenue to appeal a direct red card, a mandatory knockout-stage ban seemed set in stone. However, FIFA stepped in on Sunday, utilizing a rarely leveraged clause to alter the decision. 

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced it had exercised Chapter 4, Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which grants judicial bodies the authority to fully or partially suspend disciplinary measures.

The Terms: Balogun’s suspension has been put on hold under a one-year probationary period.

The Catch: If he commits another infringement of “a similar nature and gravity” at any point during the next 365 days, the suspension will immediately be reinstated, forcing him to serve the ban on top of any new penalties.

Balogun’s return cannot be overstated for the tournament co-hosts. He currently leads the United States with three goals in four matches during this World Cup run. 

His goal haul already matches Landon Donovan’s iconic 2010 performance for the second-most World Cup goals scored by an American in a single tournament, trailing only Bert Patenaude’s record of four set back in 1930.  

The USMNT is aiming to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. Facing Belgium in the Round of 16 carries historical weight; it is the first time the two countries have met on the World Cup stage since 2014, when the Belgian side eliminated the Americans 2-1 in a thrilling extra-time heartbreaker. 

With their star striker back in the fold, the US will aim to write a different ending on Monday.