The U.S. men's national soccer team is set to face Belgium on Monday night in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16. Star striker Folarin Balogun, who received a red card during the July 1 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, will be eligible to play after FIFA suspended his one-game suspension for a probationary period of one year.

Balogun's red card was issued after he clashed with an opposing player's foot in the second half of the match, which automatically triggered a one-game ban. However, FIFA announced on Sunday that "the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year." The governing body added that if 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."

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) issued a statement saying, "In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options."

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed that Balogun was "sad" and "disappointed" about the red card call, emphasizing that the clash was not intentional. The U.S. team has performed well in the tournament so far, finishing the group stage with a 2-1 record, including wins over Paraguay and Australia before a loss to Turkey, which came after the team had already secured advancement to the next round.

The upcoming match against Belgium will be a critical test for the U.S. squad as they aim to advance further in the tournament.

Sources