--- title: "Trumpgate at the 2026 World Cup: US President Personally Secured the Lifting of the Team Leader's Disqualification" description: "Trump personally secured the lifting of the US team leader's disqualification before the match against Belgium. The scandal was dubbed \"Trumpgate,\" and FIFA replaced the actual punishment with a suspended one. πŸ”΄βš½οΈπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ" date: 2026-07-06T18:04:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/trumpgate-at-the-2026-world-cup-president-personally-secured-the-lifting-of-the-team-leaders-disqualification tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Trumpgate at the 2026 World Cup: US President Personally Secured the Lifting of the Team Leader's Disqualification ![Donald Trump in the Oval Office with a soccer ball and fans holding jerseys with 'TRUMP 47' and FIFA logo, symbolizing his intervention in the 2026 World Cup.](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/06/trampgejt-vmeshatelstvo-prezidenta-ssha-v-reshenie-fifa/trampgejt-vmeshatelstvo-prezidenta-ssha-v-reshenie-fifa-1.webp) On the eve of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match, a serious scandal erupted involving high-level interference in sports discipline. US President Donald Trump officially confirmed that he personally initiated a change in FIFA's verdict regarding the top scorer of the US national team, Folarin Balogun. ### The Story of the "Suspended" Disqualification The US striker received a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to standard regulations, this would have meant an automatic suspension for the next game β€” the match against Belgium. However, following a series of private negotiations, FIFA leadership took an unprecedented step: the actual punishment was replaced with a 12-month suspended disqualification. This decision allowed the team's top scorer to return to action and take the field from the first minute of the decisive match. ### Trump's Comment: "It Wasn't an Order" Commenting on the situation to journalists, the US President categorically denied any political pressure or direct instructions to the head of world football, Gianni Infantino. Trump stated that his call was merely a request to review the controversial incident. "All I did was ask for a review, because I didn't think there was a foul at all. I didn't tell Infantino what to do. I just think these were two great athletes who collided and got tangled up," the press quoted the American leader as saying. In Trump's opinion, FIFA officials "made the right decision" by returning the player to the squad. The President expressed the view that without this step, the entire World Cup would have been ruined. ### "Trumpgate" and the Reaction of Rivals Despite attempts by the White House and the football federation to smooth things over and deny direct government influence on the verdict, the decision sparked outrage among the future opponent β€” the Belgian national team. The annulment of the red card has already been dubbed "Trumpgate," which has seriously heightened the tension surrounding the night match. The match between the US and Belgium teams will take place tonight, July 7, at 3:00 AM Kyiv time. Now, the attention of the entire world is focused on how the situation will unfold on the field, given the scandalous circumstances preceding the game.