Belgium’s thumping 4-1 victory against the US in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 is oddly satisfying. From Iran not being allowed to camp in the US to strict security protocols for Uruguayan players, this edition of the tournament has been defined by geopolitical tensions, shifting the focus away from the pitch. And, Belgium just brought the spotlight back to football by eliminating the US.
The backlash reached a boiling point after FIFA broke its own disciplinary rules to recall a red card suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun following direct political lobbying from US President Donald Trump.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee applied Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, under which it has discretion to suspend the implementation of any disciplinary measures, and ordered that the implementation of the one-match suspension be suspended for a probationary period of one year.
“As a result, Balogun is not required to immediately serve the suspension. Instead, the sanction remains dormant during the probationary period and will only be activated if he commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during that one-year period,” FIFA said in a press release.
The decision ignited furious accusations of corruption and institutional hypocrisy across the sporting world. Nonetheless, Balogun started the måatch against Belgium and displayed one of the worst performances with only 10 touches in the first half.
Football’s answer
Every World Cup deserves a competitive host. The tournament is always better when the home crowd comes out in numbers to root for their country. But everything regarding the game should stay on the pitch. No matter what, rules are rules, and they must be obeyed.
The World Cup has never been free of politics. It never will be. Every edition carries the weight of the country hosting it. Every government wants to showcase itself. Every leader wants the tournament to become a symbol of national success.
That is expected.
However, a country using a particular player to showcase its power is not expected, and it should not be tolerated. Players are not foreign affairs experts or politicians. They are just footballers, playing for the crest on their chest. They are expected to ‘play’ only after the referee blows the whistle. Not from dugouts.
Meanwhile, the Balogun controversy did not respect that thin line—a burden that should not have been pushed over to football just to display geopolitical power.
That is why Belgium’s 4-1 win is bigger than securing a berth at the quarter-finals. It resembled silencing a nation which had been doing things just out of muscle power. And, it was football’s answer.
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90 minutes of pure football
On Tuesday, when Belgium entered the pitch, the US had everything in their favour—the crowd, the noise and the momentum. But that did not stop Belgium from slaying the 90 minutes they were on the pitch. They mercilessly scored goals, mocked the entire US crowd in the stadium with celebrations and walked away with a win.
No political statements. No press conferences. No social media posts. Just pure football. And, football is beautiful. It does not care about politics outside the stadium. It does not care about political speeches. It does not care how powerful the host nation is.
It only cares about who plays better. That is what makes the World Cup special.
This World Cup has broken attendance records. Stadiums have been full. Broadcast numbers have been massive. Commercial deals have become bigger than ever before.
That is good for the sport. But the bigger football becomes, the easier it is for people outside the game to believe they are more important than the game itself.
Sometimes it is politicians interfering, sometimes the broadcasters will take a call, and sometimes even FIFA itself will tweak something that’s not in the rulebooks. And, when this happens, football takes a back seat; it becomes secondary.
Fans do not fall in love with football because of the opening ceremonies. They do not remember sponsors, nor do they frame photographs of politicians in the stands.
They remember clutch moments, a last-minute stunning winner, the ups and downs of the beautiful game.
The scoreline of Belgium vs the US will be remembered. So will the timing because it came just when the conversation around the tournament was drifting somewhere else.
Football needed this result. Belgium proved that the best response is still with a ball at your feet.