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Team USA look to extend their World Cup journey on home soil as they take on Belgium in a last-16 clash in Seattle, with the buildup to the match overshadowed by a row raging over US President Donald Trump’s extraordinary intervention to earn a red-card reprieve for striker Folarin Balogun. Follow our liveblog for minute-by-minute match commentary.
Balogun, the US team’s outstanding player at the World Cup so far, had been set to miss the game against Belgium after receiving a red card in the victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the previous round.
But on Sunday FIFA said it was suspending the card, sparking a furore as Trump confirmed he had contacted its boss Gianni Infantino directly about the red card.
Read moreWorld Cup 2026: All the fixtures
Rubio weighs in
Here’s what the top US diplomat had to say earlier about the Balogun row.
Integrity of World Cup questioned after Trump secures Balogun reprieve
Football leaders have questioned the World Cup’s integrity after FIFA lifted Balogun’s suspension in an extraordinary move.
The furor has centered on a phone call that President Donald Trump made last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino to make the case that the US striker should not have been shown a red card during last week’s match against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
European football body UEFA said FIFA “crossed a red line” and called the decision by FIFA’s disciplinary committee “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
Trump has taken credit for getting FIFA to review the foul, but said he did not demand an outcome.
Welcome to our liveblog
Co-hosts USA take on Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 in just over an hour, with striker Folarin Balogun in the hosts’ starting lineup after his red-card suspension was lifted by FIFA in a decision that sparked outrage across the sport.
Whoever wins this match will go on to face Spain on Friday at Inglewood, California, for a semi-final berth against France or Morocco.
Kick-off is at 5pm in Seattle, 7pm EST and 2am in Brussels.
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