Striker Folarin Balogun will be eligible to play for the USA in their World Cup round of 16 clash with Belgium in Seattle on Monday after FIFA suspended his one-match ban for a year. Balogun, who is the USs top scorer at the tournament with three goals, was sent off during his countrys 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last-32 for stepping on the right ankle of defender Tarik Muharemovic. It was a challenge that USA boss Mauricio Pochettino later called normal, saying the tackle was never worthy of a red card. The same ruling that cleared Cristiano Ronaldo to playThe ban would have ruled Balogun out of arguably the biggest game in the history of the USA mens team, however, FIFAs disciplinary committee said it made the decision in line with Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which allows them to rescind red cards.Footballs global governing body previously used the same section of its code to clear Cristiano Ronaldo to start the opening games of Portugals World Cup following his dismissal against the Republic of Ireland in qualifying. The ruling does stipulate, however, that should Balogun commit what the code refers to as another infringement of a similar nature and gravity then the striker will serve his one-game ban.In a statement, US Soccer said: We accept the decision of the disciplinary committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow [Monday]. Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans. Topics Belgium National Football Team USMNT World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Cape Verde squad welcomed home by thousands of fans after historic World Cup run 101 GreatGoals 5th July, 2026 Mexico v England: Jordan Henderson makes light of Three Lions Viagra rumour and insists players are ready to go 101 GreatGoals 5th July, 2026 Thomas Tuchel admits feeling the impact of Mexico City altitude ahead of World Cup clash 101 GreatGoals 5th July, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 5th July, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 5th July, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 5th July, 2026
