How many matches will Folarin Balogun miss after red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in FIFA World Cup 2026?

USA secured a win to progress to the Round of 16 of FIFA World Cup.

The United States national football team delivered a historic performance at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, securing a commanding 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Under manager Mauricio Pochettino, the USA played a brilliantly executed game plan that completely overtook Bosnia and Herzegovina tactically. The incredible atmosphere created by the home fans enabled the nation to control the tempo.

Folarin Balogun scored the opening goal for the tournament co-hosts in the 45th minute, with attacking midfielder Malik Tillman scoring an incredible free kick to confirm USA’s passage to the next round.

The victory will be historic for the nation’s football, breaking numerous disappointing records held by the team. With an excellent defensive display against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the USA recorded their first-ever clean sheet in a World Cup knockout match, with the last game coming in the inaugural 1930 edition.

In addition to this, this victory marks the very first time the United States has won a World Cup knockout match in normal time since defeating Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16, with the match being held in the 2002 World Cup.

However, the USA faced a massive setback after young forward Folarin Balogun, who scored the opening goal, was sent off in the 64th minute. The suspension will be a huge blow for Pochettino’s side, with the player being integral to the team’s plans.

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How many matches will Folarin Balogun be suspended?

United States striker Folarin Balogun will miss one match following his straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under FIFA’s strict disciplinary regulations, a straight red card triggers an automatic one-match ban that rules him out of the USA’s highly anticipated Round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday, July 7, at the Seattle Stadium.

The incident occurred in the 64th minute of the game. Balogun was involved in an incident with Bosnian centre-back Tarik Muharemovic while chasing a 50-50 ball, accidentally pulling down the back of the defender’s leg and stepping onto his ankle.

While the challenge looked completely accidental, Brazilian referee Raphael Claus was instructed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to view the incident again. The referee deemed that the contact endangered the opponent’s safety, upgrading to a straight red card.

The FIFA rules state that direct red cards for a referee’s call on the pitch cannot be appealed unless the suspension extends to more than one game. In this scenario, the United States cannot appeal against the suspension as Balogun only received a one-match ban.

By scoring and being sent off in the same match, Balogun becomes only the fourth player in World Cup history to score a goal and receive a red card in the same knockout match, with the last player being French legend Zinedine Zidane, who was sent off in the iconic 2006 Final.

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