The Belgian Football Association has lodged an appeal with FIFA's Appeal Committee over the decision to grant US striker Folarin Balogun permission to play against the Red Devils despite a red card.
The run-up to the match between the USA and Belgium is set to be a frantic few hours.
Belgium has until 05:00 local time (14:00 Belgian time) to make its case in the Balogun affair. Earlier, FIFA decided to give Balogun permission to play in the round-of-16 match against the Red Devils on Tuesday after all, despite having received a red card in a previous match.
Belgium has explicitly requested access to the referee's report from the USA v Bosnia match, during which the red card was issued. However, this has reportedly not yet been provided.
FIFA has appointed an arbitrator to rule on the matter, but it will be a race against time – especially as the Football Association has still not received FIFA’s official decision or reasoning, making it difficult to formulate a case.
What has happened?
During the World Cup round-of-32 match between the US and Bosnia-Herzegovina (2-0) last Wednesday, US striker Balogun received a red card – meaning he would be suspended for the next game against Belgium.
However, US President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino last Wednesday to ask for a review of Balogun's suspension, The New York Times reported. Following the phone call, FIFA on Sunday declared Balogun eligible to play in the match against the Belgians after all.
Trump has since responded to the news himself on his platform, Truth Social. "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"
The American president gets along particularly well with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, but is conspicuously absent from this World Cup. The White House shared Trump's message on social media with the caption "USA-USA-USA".
Speaking exclusively to The Brussels Times, US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White dismissed suggestions that Trump meddled in FIFA's decision to allow Balogun to play. "President Trump would never interfere with the inner workings of FIFA," White said.
Belgium's head coach Rudi Garcia pictured during a press conference of Belgian national soccer team Red Devils, on Sunday 05 July 2026 in Lumen Field stadium in Seattle, USA. Credit: Belga/Bruno Fahy
The Belgian Football Association said it was "stunned" by FIFA's decision. "This decision is contrary to the competition regulations."
In the meantime, Belgium's manager Rudi Garcia had strong words during his press conference in Seattle on Sunday following FIFA's decision.
"I didn't know that 5 July here is the same as 1 April (April Fool's Day) in Europe. That's new to me," said Garcia.
"Otherwise, I refer to the statement from the Belgian Football Association (KBVB). The Belgian football federation defends football, integrity, and ethics," he said. "To my knowledge, this is the first time such a decision has been made."
He added: "But I am a coach and want to focus on the game. For me, only my team matters—winning and reaching the quarterfinals. The fact that Balogun starts does not change anything for me. 0%."
'Football is based on rules'
The European football governing body UEFA also responded to FIFA's decision, stating that FIFA had "crossed a red line" on Monday. "This decision is unprecedented, incomprehensible and indefensible."
"Football, like any other sport, is based on rules, which form the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition," UEFA stated in a release. "Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case, they are not."
They stressed that an automatic suspension of at least one match following a red card is "not a matter of discretion and does not require a decision by a competent authority".
Instead, they said, it is "a principle laid down in the regulations, to which no exceptions are permitted, let alone in the middle of a tournament in which several other players found themselves in the same situation and have served their suspensions."
This article has been updated to include a comment by US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White and a statement by UEFA
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