Trump's FIFA call to reinstate Balogun leaves Team USA facing a 'lose-lose' World Cup shadow

FIFA has suspended the red card handed to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup following a direct phone call from Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, allowing the 25-year-old to play in Monday’s last-16 tie against Belgium — and triggering an immediate political backlash.

Balogun had been the standout player of Mauricio Pochettino’s tournament, scoring three goals in three group-stage appearances, before Brazilian referee Raphael Claus dismissed him during Wednesday’s last-32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic. The dismissal would have ruled him out of the Belgium match, but FIFA’s decision to lift the ban — effective after Trump’s intervention on Thursday — changed that.

Trump publicly framed the call as correcting an injustice, but the reaction from commentators across the political spectrum was swift and largely critical. Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger wrote on X: “Even FIFA is engaged in Trump crime family corruption. If USA wins the cup there will now always be an asterisk. Fair or unfair.”

Geopolitics commentator Cyrus Janssen argued the president had created an impossible situation for the team itself. “This is a lose-lose situation for Team USA now,” he wrote. “We beat Belgium and the victory will be tainted as we needed our President to cheat to help us win. If we lose then even our President cheating couldn’t help us win.”

Anti-Trump commentator Brian Krassenstein echoed the sentiment, responding to a viral AI-generated video depicting Balogun producing a literal “Trump card” in response to the red card. “Trump getting Folarin Balogun unsuspended from the World Cup just shows you that everything he touches is delegitimate crap,” he wrote. “Now, if the U.S. wins the World Cup, it will be questioned.”

Political journalist Julia Ioffe added a layer of constitutional irony to the debate, noting that Trump has simultaneously been challenging birthright citizenship in the Supreme Court — the very legal principle that qualifies Balogun to represent the United States. Balogun was born in New York in July 2001 to British parents who were visiting the city and were unable to fly home to London due to the advanced stage of his mother’s pregnancy.

The controversy places Pochettino’s side in an uncomfortable position ahead of what should be one of the most anticipated matches of their tournament run. Whether Balogun’s presence on the pitch against Belgium ultimately helps or hinders the U.S. cause, the political circumstances surrounding his reinstatement look set to follow the team for the remainder of the competition.