FIFA had explicitly told teams that red cards cannot be appealed, but the governing body broke its own rules on Sunday for the tournament’s twelfth red card. Sunday saw President Donald Trump reportedly step up the pressure, which led the sport’s governing body to give in. The decision saw mixed reactions of elation and disbelief from various parties.

According to an exclusive by journalist and expert Ben Jacobs, the White House reached out to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Their request was to review striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban after he received a direct red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic on July 1. The reporter indicated that FIFA did exactly that after US Soccer submitted an appeal.

Previously, reports from The Athletic indicated that FIFA officials had explicitly told national teams that they couldn’t appeal red cards. Jacobs’ report, however, echoes The Guardian’s reporting, which revealed that President Trump made more than one call. According to the British news outlet, the American President reportedly made three calls to FIFA and its president. This has ensured Balogun will be eligible to line up against Belgium in Seattle. 

Balogun’s presence in the eleven will be crucial for the Americans as he has contributed to four of their 10 goals. That included putting his side 1-0 up against Bosnia and Herzegovina before halftime. In the one game he missed (after Mauricio Pochettino elected to rest his starters for a dead rubber), the USMNT lost to Turkiye, which may have been what was on American fans’ minds. The decision didn’t go down well with them, leading to an online clamor for the rules to be changed.

However, FIFA’s rules rightly led to Balogun’s dismissal. Per the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, Article 10.5 states:

• If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.

But after the President’s intervention, FIFA suspended the one-game ban for a year in line with Article 27 (Suspension of Implementation of Disciplinary Measures) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. Article 27 of the code reads:

• The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.
• By suspending the implementation of the sanction, the judicial body subjects the person sanctioned to a probationary period of one to four years.
• If the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.
• Disciplinary measures relating to match manipulation cannot be suspended.

While Balogun will play against Belgium and any other nation should the USA advance, he will be on thin ice as opposing players will try to draw a foul from him to ensure he violates point 3 of Article 27.

These events may allow the England team to exploit a loophole to get a similar suspended ban for Jarell Quansah, who received a red card in his side’s 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca.

Trump thanked FIFA for its decision

In the aftermath of the announcement, a delighted President Trump took to social media to celebrate. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” wrote the American president.

UEFA released a statement on the decision, expressing that it “crossed a red line.”

“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” wrote UEFA.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter capped his statement with a cryptic question to FIFA in Latin, while having his say on the red card being overturned.

“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power,” wrote the 90-year-old former FIFA President.

The decision also hasn’t gone down well with the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), which will feel hard done after it could not appeal Nathan Ngoy’s suspension for the final group game against New Zealand after he received a red card in the second group game against Iran. 

The RBFA released a statement soon after the decision. In it, the RBFA revealed that it was “astonished” by the suspension and was looking into potential options. Not just that, as per Brent Scher, the RBFA has also hired a lawyer to fight back against the decision.

While Belgium questioned FIFA’s decision and explored legal options, the mood inside the USMNT camp was very different. Captain Christian Pulisic was among the first to react after learning Balogun would be available for the Round of 16.

Pulisic reflects on Balogun’s ban being suspended

Going into the 2026 World Cup, few fans gave the USMNT a chance of making a deep run. After all, under Pochettino, the Americans had struggled to consistently deliver big performances in big moments, and hope was low. Then came their performances in the group stages as the USMNT blew teams apart.

Their performances had fans believing again, especially after they finished first in their group almost effortlessly. It set them up with a comparatively easier tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. Pochettino’s side walked away with a hard-fought win that came at the cost of Balogun being sent off, and fans lost hope yet again.

The team, however, kept plugging on despite knowing that US Soccer was trying to appeal the decision and ensure that Balogun was eligible. And now that he is, few players are happier than Pulisic, with the AC Milan star pleased with the decision.

“Obviously, for us it gives us a boost,” Pulisic told reporters at training, according to The Athletic. “I mean, if you look at the foul, it was just — it’s zero intent at all. I felt like there was much worse ones that went on at this tournament.

“Balo handled it so well, and I think the team handled it well. We weren’t here to complain or make some — like, you have to handle it in a good way, and, you know, good things happen to people like that. He was so positive and all for the team. It just feels right, I guess.”

Balogun will now feature against Belgium, but the circumstances behind his return have become the tournament’s bigger talking point. Questions over FIFA’s consistency are unlikely to disappear after the final whistle.