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Varvara Rodchenko

Folarin Balogun, USMNT (United States Men’s National Soccer Team) striker, turned 25 on July 3 – but his red card ban on July 1 probably muted the celebration.
The player was sent off in the 64th minute of the round of 32 Fifa World Cup 2026 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, after a slow-motion VAR replay showed him stepping on the ankle of centre-back Tarik Muharemović. Although the US team won 2-0 and qualified for the next round, its chances of moving forward have been jeopardised by the elimination of its most complete centre-forward.
Fans didn’t take the development lightly, with some even deciding it was high time for US President Donald Trump to intervene and use his “presidential powers” to overrule the Fifa decision.
The red card was later overturned by Fifa on July 5, allowing Balogun to play in the USMNT’s upcoming round of 16 match against Belgium on July 6.
Trump later thanked Fifa for overturning Balogun’s red card suspension in a post on Truth Social, saying: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), on the other hand, stated that it was “astonished” by the decision, which media outlets and netizens alike are calling controversial.
But how did Balogun get into the US team in the first place? And did you know he qualified to play for three different countries?
How did Folarin Balogun end up playing for the US?

While many USMNT players hold dual citizenship, Balogun holds three, making him eligible to play for the US, the UK and Nigeria. Both Folarin’s mum and dad are Nigerian, while he attained his UK citizenship through naturalisation, as he grew up in London, where his parents moved to before he was born.

But how did he become eligible to play for the US? That goes back to before his birth. His mum travelled to New York to visit her sister and unable to board her flight back to London because she was seven months’ pregnant. So she had to stay on in the US and gave birth in Brooklyn – a twist of fate that granted Folarin his third citizenship.
“I don’t believe things happened by luck,” his mum, Florence, told ESPN in 2023. “I think for me to have gone to America and for me to have had him there – it is just something that has really stuck with me. Even when he wasn’t even thinking of making an international decision, I’d already made up my mind that he is going to play for America.”
How did Folarin Balogun get into football?

Balogun first started playing for London northeast’s Aldersbrook before joining Arsenal Academy at the age of 10. “While we were warming up before the final, I realised that someone was talking to my father on the sidelines. A man I had never seen before,” he recalled when speaking to Ligue1.
“Afterwards, I scored and we won the final 1-0. I was very happy. On the way back to the car, I was clearing the dirt off my boots when my dad handed me a business card from the man who had come to talk to him earlier – an Arsenal scout who was offering us a trial the following week.”

But while on trial at the Gunners’ camp, their rivals Tottenham Hotspur showed interest in him too. Balogun didn’t miss the chance to compare the two and spent Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays training with Arsenal, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the Spurs, before finally deciding to stick with the Gunners.
His team debut happened in 2020 during a game against Dundalk in the UEFA Europa League, when he came off the bench to provide an assist and score his first goal.
In August 2023, he transferred from Arsenal to AC Monaco, bringing his home team €40 million (US$45.8 million) for a five-year contract.
He used his one-time “change of allegiance” to join USMNT

Balogun joined USMNT as a centre-forward in spring 2023. To do so, he had to get a “change of allegiance” permission from Fifa to switch his association, due to his earlier representation of England in official youth competitions. But he told ussoccer.com that joining USMNT was a “no-brainer” and that being on the team feels like “at home”.
He added in the same interview that playing for the US national team means more for him than “people would know”.
“I’m very proud and honoured to have this opportunity, and I want to give everything I have to make our team successful,” he said.
Is Folarin Balogun single?
Balogun isn’t publicly known to have a girlfriend, and keeps his personal life fairly private. The footballer’s social media channels are made up of posts about the pitch and some endorsement deals.


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Folarin Balogun (centre) is sent off the field during the World Cup 2026 match between the United States, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, on July 1. Photo: AP Photo

Folarin Balogun of the United States talks to the media during a training session at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, California, in June. Photo: Getty Images/AFP 

Folarin Balogun qualified to play for three nations. Photo: @balogun/Instagram

Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Fifa World Cup 2026 round of 32 match between the US and Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1. Photo: Getty Images/AFP 

Folarin Balogun trained with both the Gunners and Spurs before settling for the former. Photo: @balogun/Instagram

Folarin Balogun once played for the England youth team. Photo: @balogun/Instagram

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The tri-national, who cut his football teeth with Premier League Club Arsenal, qualified to play for Nigeria, England and the US … find out how


The tri-national, who cut his football teeth with Premier League Club Arsenal, qualified to play for Nigeria, England and the US … find out how.


Meet Folarin Balogun, the star US striker at the Fifa World Cup whose red card ban just got overturned

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The tri-national, who cut his football teeth with Premier League Club Arsenal, qualified to play for Nigeria, England and the US … find out how

The tri-national, who cut his football teeth with Premier League Club Arsenal, qualified to play for Nigeria, England and the US … find out how