During his address, Trump recalled the moment US forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card and said he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to register a complaint.
US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed the FIFA World Cup 2026 as “a tournament like no other”, praising the competition for its intensity and memorable moments while speaking at an official FIFA reception at Trump Tower ahead of Sunday’s final.
During his address, Trump recalled the moment US forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card and said he personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to register a complaint. He added that the situation ultimately ended without controversy.
“This (FIFA World Cup 2026) has been a tournament like no other, filled with fierce competition and unforgettable moments. The most unforgettable was when they gave that gentleman (US forward Folarin Balogun) a red card. I was forced to call FIFA President Gianni Infantino and just make a recommendation. I said, I’d like to wage a complaint. I had no idea what was going to happen. But, know, so much better the way it worked out because there’s no controversy. They won the game, and our team had all of its players. You made another great decision,” Trump said ahead of the final scheduled for Sunday (local time).
Balogun had originally received a one-match suspension after being sent off in the United States’ Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, following interventions by Trump and US Soccer’s legal team, FIFA overturned the red card under Article 27 of its disciplinary code, allowing the striker to play in the Round of 16 against Belgium. The United States lost that match 4-1, ending its World Cup campaign.
Spain Vs Argentina
Looking ahead to the final, defending champions Argentina will take on European champions Spain in a blockbuster showdown featuring Lionel Messi and teenage star Lamine Yamal.
Trump also joked that the United States should host another FIFA World Cup without its co-hosts, Mexico and Canada. Standing alongside Infantino, he also laughed about the FIFA chief’s suggestion of a future tournament jointly hosted by the US and China, joking about the long travel involved.
“What we should do is, you should choose the United States of America again, this time we’ll leave Mexico and Canada out. But then what you do is you – which I was very nice to get them in – but what we do is, you leave – you choose us, but you pick somebody else for the next one, and that would take some of the anger, hatred, and steam out of everyone. But Gianni also had another idea; he said we could do it in China and the United States next time. We do them in China and the United States, so you have a nice short flight in between games, you know. The players would love that,” Trump said.
