The US Men’s National Team is out of the 2026 World Cup, eliminated by Belgium 4-1 in the round of 16 on July 6 in Seattle. That loss would have been a straightforward sports story, except nothing about the lead-up to that match was straightforward.
Before the first whistle, the game was already tangled in a political controversy that managed to rope in President Donald Trump, FIFA’s rule book, and, because it’s 2026, a Solana meme token.
How a red card became a presidential priority
Folarin Balogun picked up a red card on July 1 during the US win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, penalized for stepping on a defender’s ankle while competing for the ball. Under standard FIFA rules, that earns a one-match suspension, which would have kept him out of the Belgium fixture.
It didn’t play out that way. Trump reportedly contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly, lobbying for Balogun’s ban to be lifted. FIFA obliged, citing Article 27 of its bylaws, suspending the one-match ban on a one-year probationary basis.
