Fifa President Gianni Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from US President Donald Trump before US forward Folarin Balogun was allowed to play against Belgium in the World Cup quarter-finals on July 6, 2026. Balogun had been issued a red card during the US match against Bosnia-Herzegovina the previous week, which initially resulted in a suspension for the Belgium game.

Following the match with Bosnia, Trump contacted Infantino to plead for the red card decision to be overturned. Subsequently, Fifa lifted Balogun's suspension on Sunday. The Belgian football federation challenged this ruling, but a Fifa appeal judge dismissed Belgium's legal challenge less than eight hours before the match in Seattle.

Fifa stated that the Belgian football body “is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.” It remains unclear whether Belgium can escalate the matter to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is prepared to handle urgent World Cup cases.

European football leaders have criticized the decision, with Uefa describing it as an “incomprehensible” breach of football’s rule of law. The incident has raised questions about the integrity of Fifa and the World Cup.

Sources