World Cup soccer star Folarin Balogun is playing for the United States because of his birthright citizenship, which President Donald Trump is seeking to drastically curtail.
President Trump and lawmakers react as Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump reacts after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship as lawmakers from both parties consider the ruling.
Folarin Balogun, star of the U.S. World Cup soccer team, intervenes with FIFA on behalf of President Donald Trump and plays in the United States as a result of his birthright citizenship, which Trump sought to drastically curtail.
Balogun was cleared to play in the match against Belgium on July 6 after FIFA lifted his one-match suspension after President Trump called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.
On the first day of his second term, President Trump celebrated FIFA’s decision after issuing an executive order drastically reducing future birthright citizenship.
“Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice!” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
If Trump’s policies had been in effect at the time of Balogun’s birth, he would not have been a U.S. citizen. On June 30, the Supreme Court reversed President Trump’s order, ruling that it violates the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to nearly everyone born in the United States.
Immigrant rights advocates point out that Balogun is eligible to play on the U.S. team only because of his birthright citizenship.
“Thanks to the 14th Amendment, Team USA made it to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup,” Michelle Lapointe, legal director for the American Immigration Council, said in a July 2 online post. “If the Supreme Court had agreed with the Trump administration in its birthright citizenship decision this week, the future Mr. Balogun would not have been considered a U.S. citizen.”
Balogun has scored three goals so far, making him the leading scorer for the U.S. team as they advance to the Round of 16.
Asked for comment on Balogun’s ability to play because of his birthright citizenship, White House press secretary Davis Engle said in a statement that the 2026 World Cup, to be held across North America, “will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the largest and most spectacular events in human history.”
“President Trump is focused on ensuring this is not only a great experience for all fans and visitors, but also the safest and most secure one in history,” Ingle added.
Why Birthright Citizenship Enables Balogun to Play for the United States
Balogun, who grew up in England, is a U.S. citizen because her mother, Florence Balogun, gave birth to her while visiting New York, according to an interview she gave ESPN in 2023. Ms Balogun said she was seven months pregnant with her son and tried to fly back to the UK from New York, but the airline refused to let her board.
Even if President Trump’s executive order had withstood legal scrutiny, it would not have prevented Balogun from playing for the U.S. team, as it only applied to children born after late February 2025. However, future children in the same situation would have been prevented from growing up and playing for the United States.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, President Trump continues to push for an end to birthright citizenship.
In a June 30 Truth social post, President Trump inaccurately stated that Congress has the power to abolish birthright citizenship through legislation. A majority of Supreme Court justices ruled that the children targeted by President Trump’s order are constitutionally birthright citizens, not because of any Congressional bill that could be changed by new legislation.
The Fourteenth Amendment begins with the statement, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State in which they reside.”
FIFA president defends complaints of US preferential treatment
In suspending Balogun’s red card for a one-year period of suspension (a decision that has sparked an outcry in some quarters over unfair preferential treatment for the United States), FIFA did not mention President Trump’s call, but did mention its disciplinary rules. Officials said the association’s judicial body could suspend disciplinary action, which would be reinstated if the player in question commits a similar offense during the suspended sentence.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement that he had played no inappropriate role in the decision to suspend the red card.
“FIFA’s judicial body is independent, operates autonomously, is subject to the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decides cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before it,” he said.
