Folarin Balogun’s latest headline is about a red card that was first expected to keep him out of the Belgium match, but FIFA then suspended that ban, so he was cleared to play in the World Cup Round of 16.

What happened

He was sent off after a VAR review in the U.S. win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, and early reports said he would miss the next game.
By July 5, 2026, multiple outlets reported that FIFA lifted or suspended the one-match ban, reversing the earlier ruling.

Why it got attention

The red card was described as controversial, with some reporting that the protocol may have been misapplied.
Belgium’s football federation was said to be displeased by the reversal, which helped turn it into a bigger talking point.

Plain-English version

In short: Balogun was initially punished, then the punishment was rolled back, and that is why people were suddenly asking “what happened?”

TL;DR

He got a controversial red card, was briefly set to miss Belgium, and then FIFA reversed the ban so he could play.