U.S. President Donald Trump has unexpectedly come under the spotlight of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kursiv Lifestyle explains how FIFA’s decision following President Trump’s reported call turned into a major scandal.
According to The New York Times, FIFA suspended the one-match disqualification of the U.S. national team’s forward Folarin Balogun. The decision was backed with a call from the U.S. president to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Following Balogun’s sending-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, lawyers working with the U.S. Soccer Federation began seeking a way to challenge the decision, even though FIFA’s regulations do not permit an appeal.
President Trump welcomed the FIFA decision in a post on Truth Social; however, he didn’t mention the call to Infantino and didn’t attribute the revision to himself.
«Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!» Trump wrote.
The decision sparked a buzz in the football community. Belgium demanded an explanation, while former players and pundits raised concerns about possible political interference in FIFA’s decision-making.
The Guardian: FIFA SUSPENDS Balogun’s red card after White House appeal
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) July 5, 2026
‘Thanks FIFA for doing what was right and a GREAT INJUSTICE!’ — Donald Trump on Truth Social pic.twitter.com/ACkQMoU8ex
🚨 LMAO! The Trump Card always wins!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 5, 2026
"Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
Folarin Balogun is BACK 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pmrsuba9SU
Meanwhile, the story quickly became a meme on social media. Users joked that any red card could be overturned with a call to Washington, with some dubbing Trump “the World Cup’s most influential referee.”
Trump on VAR duty: The replay says goal… but I alone can fix it. 😂#worldcupknockouts #Trump #usa #fifa #worldcup pic.twitter.com/lOibFYRf5Z
— Darth~King Carl *Super Citizen*🫅 (@calle79) July 6, 2026
