TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States of America (USA) national team striker Folarin Balogun, whose name is currently the subject of heated discussion among football fans, will start when the hosts face Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, Western Indonesian Time.
Balogun will still be allowed to play despite receiving a red card in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina a few days ago.
FIFA granted an appeal filed by the US Soccer Federation, requesting a one-year suspension—which would have been immediate—for the next year.
FIFA ignored protests from the Belgian Football Federation and criticism from UEFA, in order to appease United States President Donald Trump, who proudly asserted that Balogun's suspension was due to his interference.
Despite the controversy, Balogun—the top American scorer with three goals—will lead the attack for Mauricio Pochettino's team alongside Christian Pulisic.
The FIFA website notes that the United States used a 3-5-2 formation, but in the big game, they will likely employ a more fluid formation to boost their chances of defeating Belgium.
Overall, Pochettino fielded the exact same starting eleven as against Bosnia.
For Belgium, coach Rudi Garcia surprisingly benched several of his key stars. Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Jeremy Doku started the match on the bench.
Belgium continued to field Thibaut Courtois in goal. Dodi Lukebakio will lead the attack, supported by Charles De Ketelaere and Leandro Trossard.
Here are the lineups for both teams according to the official FIFA website:
Lineups
USA (3-5-2): Matt Freese; Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams; Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Tim Ream, Alex Freeman; Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic.
Belgium (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper; Nicolas Raskin, Amadou Onana; Dodi Lukebakio, Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard; Charles De Ketelaere
Read: World Cup 2026: Haaland Joins Messi, Mbappe in Golden Boot Race
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