For a time, it’s easy to forget that the World Cup is being held in Trump’s America. There were no conflicts between ICE and fan groups. Fans chanting the president’s slogans in NSFW are not being hauled into a detention center. People are actually having fun, discovering that America exists beyond the stereotypes they see in sitcoms. Then the red card reprieve came back to remind us that the World Cup takes place during quite turbulent times. Then the call came. But let’s start from the beginning.
overall view
The 2026 World Cup is too big to stop at the football level. It was the first tournament to feature 48 teams across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with a total of 104 games played, making it the largest, largest and most profitable tournament ever organized by FIFA. It was also played on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, which gave Donald Trump It’s the context he instinctively understands: the flags, the stadium, the national anthem, the cameras, the National Theatre, and the possibility of the home team dragging the pageant deeper into the month.This is the context within which FIFA’s relationship with Trump must be understood. FIFA may own the World Cup, but it does not own America’s borders, airports, policing, airspace, visa systems, emergency protocols or federal security mechanisms. Despite Zurich’s swagger, FIFA wouldn’t be able to host an event of this magnitude in the United States without the involvement of the White House and the U.S. government. So Trump was more than just a VIP in the box. He is the president of the host country and controls much of the physical reality of the tournament.This is where Gianni Infantino’s FIFA enters more dangerous territory. Infantino has spent years transforming FIFA from football’s governing body into a circuit tribunal of global power. He loves presidents, princes, prime ministers and anyone who can provide stadiums, sponsors, television images and silence. Trump calls him the “King of Football,” which sounds ridiculous until one sees how much modern FIFA has become a projection of Infantino’s own authority.The New Yorker’s coverage of Infantino captured this shift keenly. One former UEFA colleague said his vision was to expand “FIFA’s powers and his own powers”. Another former senior FIFA official said there would be “no major decisions” at this World Cup without Infantino’s direct involvement. This is important because the Balogun case did not happen in a vacuum. It comes amid a relationship that includes Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize, opening a FIFA office in Trump Tower, moving the World Cup lottery ceremony to Washington, D.C. after Trump suggested the Kennedy Center, and villagers playing Trump’s unofficial anthem, “YMCA,” at FIFA events.So when the phone rang, FIFA didn’t hear from any politicians about VAR. The voices of the host president, anniversary manager, security gatekeepers, trophy presenters and Infantino have been in the theater of the event for months.
red card redemption
The football part of the story began in America’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina when Folarin Balogun was sent off for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic. In football’s usual disciplined rhythms, the path was simple. A red card carries an automatic one-match suspension, which means Balogun will miss the last-16 match against Belgium, American fans will be furious with the referees, pundits will debate slow-motion replays, and everyone will end up discovering a new source of anger over breakfast.Instead, Trump called Infantino and asked for a review. There’s been a broader push surrounding the call, involving lawyers, officials and people close to U.S. Soccer, all looking for ways to make Balogun available. FIFA finally found the answer in Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows for the suspension of sanctions. Balogun’s red card record remains, but the penalty was deferred for a year’s probation, meaning he can play against Belgium.
Trump celebrated the decision in his usual note, thanking FIFA for “doing the right thing and reversing a huge injustice!” UEFA saw a much different picture, calling the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unreasonable,” adding that FIFA “crossed a red line.” This statement is important because it is no longer just a question of whether Balogun’s tackle deserved a red card. Even some critics of FIFA’s decision thought the initial call was too harsh. The problem is that so-called automatic penalties become flexible once the president of the host country decides to review them.Section 27 is a clause that quietly exists in disciplinary codes until the powers that be demand a door. Cristiano Ronaldo served a two-match suspension earlier this year after picking up a red card against Ireland, which allowed him to play in Portugal’s opening match of the World Cup group stage. Balogun is now taking the same route, which is why this rule already feels like the Ronaldo rule: offense is preserved on paper, punishment is deferred in practice, and the field gets the players it wants.Belgium immediately recognized the danger. Its federation said it was “surprised”. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked the timing, saying: “I didn’t know July 5 and April 1 were the same in FIFA.” Wayne Rooney called it an “absolute disgrace” and said Infantino “should be ashamed”. Gary Neville said the decision was “absolutely terrible”. Norway coach Solbakken made a more lasting point, warning that the decision would be put on hold if the U.S. wins. That’s what FIFA is doing here. It provides a second scoreboard for every future debate about American campaigns, where goals matter and opportunities for power matter.
Beyond the headlines
Balogun’s reprieve becomes even more telling when placed alongside his World Cup experience with Iran. Iran’s game was marred by visa and security issues, making it difficult for members of its wider delegation to gain access, and the team’s base was moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. Iran captain Mehdi Taremi said, “We have to fight against everything here.” This line appears because it embodies the difference between participating in the World Cup and being welcomed into it.For Iran, host country sovereignty becomes a wall. FIFA found a door for the United States. This contrast is at the heart of this work. FIFA promotes the World Cup as the great republic of football, where football is supposed to dominate the hierarchy for 90 minutes. However, the event remains embedded in the political system of the host country. Some teams face immigration queues, security anxiety and skepticism. The host nation received a call from the President and creatively read the disciplinary code.
Iran poses for a photo before the World Cup Group G football match between Belgium and Iran in Inglewood, California, Sunday, June 21, 2026, near Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Infantino’s defenders will argue that FIFA was simply following its rules, and technically they may have a paper trail to point to. But FIFA’s problem is no longer a lack of rules; One suspects that rules are most easily changed when they favor the powerful. When power comes with stadiums, money and global attention, this politically neutral organization effortlessly stands beside it.Infantino himself helped create this impression. He awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, saying: “This is what we want from a leader.” He praised Trump in public, telling viewers that “he’s just doing what he’s saying,” and adding, “I think we should all support what he’s doing because I think he’s doing a great job, right?” Those are not the words of a sports administrator who is careful to maintain institutional segregation. These are the words of a man who sees proximity to political power as part of FIFA’s natural habitat.
no more veneers
There is one final picture waiting for this World Cup. Infantino said Trump would present the trophy at the final on July 19, explaining: “We will enjoy the final with the president and hand the trophy to the winner, of course, together.” This sentence summed up the entire tournament: Trump in the draw, Trump in the prize, Trump on the phone, Trump in the last photo.
FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino holds the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy as President Donald Trump delivers a statement in the Oval Office of the White House on August 22, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, File)
Balogun’s reprieve did not create FIFA’s Trump problem. It exposed a relationship that had been hiding in plain sight. FIFA can cite committees, codes and Article 27, and every line of the document can look respectable. But football is rarely compromised simply by what is written in the rulebook. It’s marred by what people think is going on in the back of the room where the rulebook is read. The World Cup is supposed to be an event where the world puts aside all its differences. We all put aside our geopolitical differences and were more worried about seeing our teams play. Now that finish is completely gone.
