Folarin Balogun has been cleared to play in USA's World Cup clash with Belgium.
The USA were set to be without Folarin Balogun for their World Cup round-of-16 meeting with Belgium after being sent off in the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However the Monaco forward will now be available as Mauricio Pochettino's side aim to reach the tournament's quarter-final stage for the first time since 2002.
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FIFA suspend Folarin Balogun's World Cup ban
Balogun has been the Stars and Stripes' most potent player in their first World Cup hosted on home soil since 1994, scoring three goals in as many starts.
But his hopes of leading his country into the last eight appeared to be dashed by a red card for planting his foot into Tarik Muharemovic's ankle during a collision.
Under FIFA rules, Balgoun's sending-off incurred an automatic one-match suspension that would have ruled him out of the showdown at Seattle Stadium.
Yet world football's governing body has again exercised an unusual rule from its Disciplinary Code that means the 25-year-old's ban is suspended for one year.
The probationary period covered by Article 27 allows bans to be paused provided they are not followed up with 'another infringement of a similar nature and gravity'.
It was previously used to clear Cristiano Ronaldo's red card to participate in the start of Portugal's group campaign after his sending-off in the World Cup play-offs.
Ronaldo's waived ban also opened the door for Ecuador's Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Otamendi of Argentina, who were both sent off in the same game, to play.
Balogun's case also received a helping hand from US President Donald Trump, who reportedly lobbied his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino to review the case.
The leader of the free world and the head of the global game have enjoyed a warm relationship that led to Trump receiving the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize last year.
Trump reacted to Balogun's overturned ban on his Truth Social social media platform by hailing FIFA for 'doing what was right and reversing a great injustice'.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) have since released a strong statement in response to the suspension of Balogun's ban.
"The RBFA is astonished by FIFA's decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match," it reads.
"FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.
"However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team's next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.
"Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5: 'If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.'
"The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
"The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations. In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options."
