2026 World Cup: Belgium Furious Over FIFA’s Decision: “The Host Team Is the Favorite”

New controversy at the 2026 World Cup: For the first time in World Cup history, FIFA has commuted a red-card suspension to a simple conditional suspension, immediately sparking reactions that were, to say the least, sharp. At the center of the controversy is U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, who received a red card during the Round of 16 match won by the U.S. against Bosnia and Herzegovina: the suspension of his red card will allow him to play against Belgium, which, however, did not take the decision well at all.

Up to that point, Balogun had been the undisputed star of his national team with three goals total, the last of which proved decisive against the Balkan side in the closing minutes of the first half. In the 64th minute, however, a hard tackle on Tarik Muharemovic led Brazilian referee Raphael Claus—after consulting the sideline monitor—to send off the Monaco player, for whom everyone expected the standard one-match suspension. Instead, FIFA’s decision came as a surprise: Balogun will take the field as usual in Tuesday’s match.

The American soccer federation found a sort of “legal loophole” in the disciplinary regulations that transformed the automatic sanction into a conditional suspension. This move has infuriated many insiders, particularly in Belgium, where the local press is openly talking about favoritism toward the home team.

“It should be noted that, in principle, it would not have been possible for the U.S. team to appeal this automatic suspension,” writes ‘DH Les Sports’. ‘HLN’, on the other hand, confirms that the Belgian Football Association is ready to demand an explanation, also noting that FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary regulations—the same provision that had allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to avoid missing the first matches of this World Cup after receiving a red card in the qualifier against Ireland.

Inevitably, protests have erupted on social media, and not just from Belgians: the decision is also considered unfair to other players who were sent off but who, in contrast, regularly missed the next match, even though their disciplinary records were entirely comparable to those of CR7 and Balogun.