FIFA suspended the one-match ban imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun, making the team's leading World Cup scorer available for its round-of-16 match against Belgium in Seattle. The governing body placed the penalty under a one-year probationary period.

Balogun had received a straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina after video review of a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. The United States won the match 2-0, with Balogun scoring before his dismissal. Under tournament rules, the red card automatically carried a suspension from the next match.

The decision followed a call from US President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Sources cited by the BBC and The Athletic confirmed the conversation, and the BBC reported that White House World Cup task-force director Andrew Giuliani and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also contacted FIFA. Infantino told Trump that the disciplinary committee would examine the case, according to one source.

FIFA cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows a judicial body to suspend all or part of a disciplinary measure. If Balogun commits a similar offence of comparable seriousness during the probationary year, the original suspension can be reinstated alongside any new sanction. FIFA did not provide a case-specific explanation for granting relief.

The ruling suspended the punishment but did not erase the red card. Trump thanked FIFA for what he called the reversal of an injustice. US Soccer said it accepted and welcomed the decision, while teammate Christian Pulisic said the squad learned of it on the way to training.

Belgium's football federation said it was astonished and was examining possible responses. It argued that the decision conflicted with competition rules previously reiterated to participating countries. The Athletic noted that World Cup competition rules do not provide teams with an appeal against a red card or its automatic suspension, even though FIFA's disciplinary body retains authority over sanctions.

Balogun had scored three tournament goals, including two against Paraguay and one against Bosnia. He was the 12th player sent off at the 2026 World Cup and, according to the BBC, the first of those 12 not required to serve an immediate ban.

FIFA had previously suspended part of a qualifying-related ban for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, but Balogun's case concerned a red card issued during the tournament itself. The supplied evidence supports that narrower distinction, not the discovery note's broader claim that no World Cup red-card suspension had ever previously been suspended.