File-This is perhaps the last image of the USMNT engaged as one at this World Cup.The mixed feelings and missed opportunities will take a while to shake off
A host nation must win on the field, not under a cloud of political suspicion
By : The Editorial Board, Opinion
The United States is not merely a participant in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It is one of the host nations. That makes its responsibility even greater. A host country must protect the credibility of the tournament, not create doubts about whether the rules are being bent in its favor.
President Donald Trump’s intervention over Folarin Balogun’s red card did exactly that. Trump said he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the decision before the U.S. match against Belgium. FIFA then suspended Balogun’s automatic one-match ban for a year, allowing him to play, while leaving the red card itself in place. FIFA cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code.
Legally, FIFA may argue it had the authority to do so. Politically and morally, the damage was already done.
Once fans believe the host nation has special access to FIFA, every decision becomes suspect. Even if the United States had beaten Belgium, many would not have viewed it as a clean victory. Belgium would have been seen by many as the moral victor, regardless of the score.
That is the real damage. The U.S. team was placed in an impossible position. Instead of walking onto the field as athletes competing on equal terms, they walked in under a cloud of political controversy. Psychologically, they had already lost before the match began.
Belgium ultimately won 4–1, but the larger issue remains. A host nation should not need political help, nor should it appear to receive it. The World Cup belongs to the players and the fans—not to presidents, not to FIFA insiders, and not to political power games.
By intervening, Trump did not help the U.S. team. He hurt it. He gave critics reason to question America’s fairness as a host and FIFA’s neutrality as a governing body. For a country hosting the world’s biggest sporting event, that is not a small embarrassment. It is a credibility failure.
