The United States Men's National Team will play one of its most important matches in years as they take on Belgium in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
The match will be played at Seattle Stadium, and Team USA will look to continue its positive momentum at this year's World Cup.
The USMNT will have most of its star players in the starting lineup, including its star striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun is the USMNT's top goalscorer at the 2026 World Cup as he has scored three goals so far; he scored in the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
In the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun also received a red card, which ruled him out for the match today, as a straight red card means a one-match ban.
However, FIFA decided to suspend Balogun's red card ban, and the American striker is available to play today against Belgium.
How is Folarin Balogun Available to Play for USA against Belgium
Folarin Balogun is available to play the match today after FIFA opted to hand him a suspended one-game ban under Article 27. Based on Article 27 within the FIFA Disciplinary Code, FIFA managed to suspend the ban for one match.
Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code states, 'The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. If the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement."
US Soccer published a statement following FIFA's suspension of the one-match ban for Balogun.
It read, "We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow. 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."
