Folarin Balogun’s red card exclusion stands as no appeal process exists

The US men’s national team achieved arguably its biggest victory in recent history, but it came at a cost.

Amid its 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night, Folarin Balogun, the team’s leading scorer at this World Cup, who found the back of the net in the first half, was shown a controversial red card.

Going for a loose ball, Balogun and an opponent accidentally tangled to the point where Balogun stepped on the opponent’s ankle, causing it to roll awkwardly. The video assistant referee (VAR) ordered the play to be watched and Balogun’s fouls were deemed “serious” enough for the red card.

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The red card meant that not only was Balogun ejected from the game and the U.S. was forced to play the rest of the game with 10 men, but Balogun also misses the team’s round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.

Almost immediately, the outcry over the red card was extreme, with fans hoping for some sort of appeal process to take place, but it doesn’t exist.

Article 9.6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations reads: “There shall be no objection to the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected to play. Such decisions are final and may not be appealed, except as otherwise provided in the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”

“If a player or team manager is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match,” Article 10.5 states.

In fact, the penalties can only increase. For example, Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was suspended for five matches after breaking the leg of Canada’s Ismaël Koné. While unlikely in Balogun’s case, it is actually not off the table.

Folarin Balogun of the United States is shown a red card by referee Raphael Claus during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Getty Images)

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There are many different opinions out there as to whether VAR was correctly applied to the situation, but unfortunately for the US, it can simply be used to determine whether a red card should be issued. And ultimately, after viewing the footage, the decision is up to the head referee, although the referee may receive input from the video assistant referee and/or other referees.

The FIFA governing body states that slow-motion replay should generally be avoided in VAR, but it could be used to determine “facts such as offense position/player, point of contact for physical fouls and handball, ball out of play (including goal/no goal); normal speed should be used for the ‘intensity’ of a foul or to determine whether it was a handball foul.” So this incident may fall under the “physical offenses” section of this statute.

And ultimately, according to the IFAB, “any player who lunges at an opponent to challenge the ball from the front, side or back using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent, is guilty of serious foul play.”

So while it doesn’t seem like Balogun had any bad intentions, it’s the unfortunate, unfortunate hand that the USMNT has been dealt. The U.S. has no choice but to find a replacement for someone who was probably in his prime in what may now be the most important game in U.S. soccer history.

USA’s Folarin Balogun (20) and USA’s Christian Pulisic (10) stand ready after Balogun received a red card during the World Cup Round of 32 soccer match between the USA and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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The U.S. is favored just as little to defeat Belgium on Monday night in Seattle, but the odds have undoubtedly taken a hit.