Why the USA Can’t Challenge Folarin Balogun’s Red Card in World Cup Win
The United States won’t be able to appeal Folarin Balogun’s red card because of a little-known FIFA rule.
Early Thursday morning, the U.S. made sure all three hosts of the 2026 World Cup are through to the round of 16 by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun scored just before halftime to put the U.S. ahead, and midfielder Malik Tillman added a second goal in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
But not everything went perfectly for the U.S. team. Balogun, who scored the first goal, was given a straight red card in the 64th minute after a foul on Bosnia’s defender Tarik Muharemović. During the challenge, Balogun’s studs caught the defender’s ankle. At first, referee Raphael Claus gave a free kick, but after reviewing the play with VAR, he decided to send Balogun off for a serious foul.
As a result, the U.S. will face Belgium in the next knockout round without their star player. Belgium pulled off a thrilling comeback, beating Senegal 3-2 after extra time.
Some fans thought the U.S. might be able to appeal the red card, pointing out that the foul looked similar to one Lionel Messi made earlier in the tournament that wasn’t punished. But FIFA’s rules for the 2026 World Cup say otherwise.
According to these rules, a player who gets a direct red card must miss the next match, and no appeal is allowed unless FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decides to add more suspensions. Basically, referees’ decisions about incidents during play are final and can’t be challenged.
Right now, Balogun is set to miss just one game — the one against Belgium in Seattle, which kicks off at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.
After the game, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg said he thought Balogun’s red card was a bit harsh and called it an accident. He told Fox Sports, “I don’t believe it’s a good use of VAR. It’s just an accident. This happens. You can see he’s upset by it. This doesn’t meet the criteria for a red card and it’s certainly going to change the course of the game.”