United States forward Folarin Balogun will be available to feature in the USMNT’s FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Belgium after FIFA suspended his one-match ban.
The 25-year-old was shown a straight red card during Wednesday’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic. Under Article 10.5 of FIFA’s World Cup disciplinary regulations, the offence ordinarily carries an automatic one-match suspension.
However, FIFA has now confirmed that Balogun’s suspension has been lifted, making him available for the knockout fixture. Earlier, several FIFA officials told The Athletic that teams could neither appeal a straight red card nor the automatic suspension that follows.
Balogun is set to be available to face Rudi Garcia’s side as his ban has been suspended.
FIFA later confirmed Balogun’s eligibility to play after The Athletic revealed the news on Sunday afternoon.
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A statement from the governing body and World Cup organizer read: “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 2026 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.”
Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code states that “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
It adds: “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.”.
