FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under fresh political pressure after 72 members of the European Parliament demanded a formal investigation into his handling of the Folarin Balogun affair, in which the USA striker’s red-card suspension was lifted following a direct appeal from the White House.

The MEPs have written to the heads of all 27 EU football associations, urging them to push for an inquiry into how the decision was reached. Their intervention comes after it emerged that President Donald Trump had personally called Infantino to lobby on Balogun’s behalf before the USA’s last-16 clash with Belgium.

The lawmakers built their case around FIFA’s own governance rules, pointing to the statute requiring the organization to stay neutral on political and religious matters, as well as the ethics code obligating officials to remain politically impartial. They also threw their support behind the Norwegian Football Federation’s calls for closer scrutiny of the case.

Infantino has pushed back against the criticism, maintaining that FIFA’s judicial bodies act independently and apply disciplinary rules without outside interference. He said he simply explained to Trump that the matter was going through an ongoing legal process and would ultimately be resolved by the appropriate authorities, rather than intervening in the outcome himself.

UEFA has continued to press the issue as well, despite Belgium’s 4-1 win over the USA on the pitch. European football’s governing body warned that the credibility of the tournament is at risk when the certainty of the rules can no longer be guaranteed, and said the decision now sets a precedent that demands consistent treatment for any similar situations for the rest of the competition, repeating its earlier disbelief at what it called an unjustifiable ruling.

FIFA has plunged itself into controversy after suspending a red-card ban for USA striker Folarin Balogun following a phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, clearing the way for Balogun to face Belgium in the round of 16.

Balogun was sent off during the USA’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after stepping on the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic, triggering an automatic one-match ban. Opinion on the original decision was split, with some arguing it was a fair call and others insisting the contact was accidental. Balogun himself later said he felt a yellow card would have been the fairer outcome.

Trump confirmed he had called Infantino to ask for a review, telling reporters the incident “wasn’t even an infraction” and questioning the officiating of Brazilian referee Raphael Claus. FIFA subsequently invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows a sanction to be suspended and the player placed on probation, to let Balogun play.

The move triggered immediate backlash. Belgium’s football association said it was “astonished” and is exploring its options, while coach Rudi Garcia sarcastically likened the decision to an April Fools’ joke. UEFA said the decision “crossed a red line,” and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter argued red cards should never be overturned by political phone calls rather than rules and evidence. England boss Thomas Tuchel and Norway’s Ståle Solbakken both questioned where the precedent leaves future disciplinary decisions, and pundits Ian Wright and Roy Keane also criticized the reversal on ITV.

Infantino defended the call, saying he regularly speaks with heads of state and stakeholders, and insisted independent bodies — not him — handle any reviews. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino welcomed the decision, arguing the original red card had unfairly left his team a man down.

Belgium says FIFA violated its own rules, pointing to provisions that make a one-match ban automatic after a straight red card. The federation also accused FIFA of mishandling its appeal by declaring it inadmissible without proper explanation. FIFA rejected Belgium’s appeal outright on Monday.

This marks the first time since 1962 — when Brazil’s Garrincha was let off with a warning after a red card at that year’s tournament — that a World Cup red card has not resulted in an automatic suspension.

Kylian Mbappe overcame a missed penalty to inspire France to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco in Boston, sending Didier Deschamps’ side into the World Cup semi-finals. Goals from Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the second half settled the quarter-final, with the French captain now on eight goals for the tournament.

France won an early penalty when Mbappe was brought down inside the box, but his soft effort was kept out by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. It didn’t matter in the end. Mbappe made amends just after the hour, finding the far corner to break the deadlock, before setting up Dembele to add a second soon after.

Morocco, missing the injured Ismael Saibari, struggled to create clear chances of their own. Lucas Digne came closest for the Atlas Lions, rattling the crossbar with a swerving effort from range before the break, but they couldn’t find a way back into the game.

Mbappe was substituted late on and appeared to be carrying a knock, sparking some concern among rival fans, though he later played it down. “I have a minor ankle injury, but I am completely fine,” he said, adding that Jean-Philippe Mateta was simply better placed to see out the remaining minutes.

With eight goals and three assists at this World Cup, Mbappe continues his pursuit of the Golden Ball and Golden Boot as France close in on a third straight final. They will face the winner of Spain versus Belgium in the last four.

Morocco’s head coach Mohamed Ouahbi struck a defiant tone in defeat, insisting the team’s run reflects a wider sense of pride. “We know we represent more than just one country,” he said. “We represent the Moroccan people, and many countries across Asia and Africa… we’ll keep working to win titles in the future.”

• Thursday July 10 – Spain v Belgium –  SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
• Spain, aiming to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2010
• It’s Blockbuster Reunion In Los Angeles As Spain And Belgium Clash. 1986 Hunts La Roja
• World rankings: Spain (FIFA ranking 3) vs Belgium (8)

What should we expect from Spain?

Spain’s progress through the tournament has been relatively comfortable. De la Fuente’s side have not needed to reach the levels they showed when winning the European Championship two years ago.

The constant through all five of their matches has been a water-tight defence, with goalkeeper Unai Simon keeping five clean sheets, helping set an all-time tournament record of 609 minutes without conceding (extending back into their run at the 2022 World Cup).

What should we expect from Belgium?

In the group stage, Belgium looked like a team without an identity, but since manager Garcia ripped up the script when trailing 2-0 to Senegal in their last-32 tie, they have been transformed. Shorn of their big names, they have appeared far more cohesive and balanced.

The match – 

Spain and Belgium meet in Los Angeles with a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals at stake. Both nations emerged from the group stage as unbeaten section winners, with La Roja then producing one of the standout performances of the Round of 32 to sweep aside Austria 3-0. Luis de la Fuente’s side won a tight Iberian derby with Portugal in the last 16 thanks to a stoppage time winner from Mikel Merino, booking Spain a third successive knockout match against European opposition.

Belgium, meanwhile, have enjoyed a topsy-turvy, goal-filled knockout stage so far. Seemingly down and out when losing 2-0 to Senegal in the Round of 32, the Red Devils rallied to snatch a famous 3-2 extra time victory. Against co-hosts USA in the Round of 16, it was more straightforward as Charles De Ketelaere’s first-half double set Belgium on their way to a comfortable 4-1 win in Seattle.

For the Red Devils, this World Cup – and especially each knockout match – represents the likely final hurrah of the last vestiges of the nation’s fabled golden generation. Coach Rudi Garcia still relies on several of Belgium’s veterans, with Kevin De Bruyne a creative reference point, Thibaut Courtois a commanding last line of defence and Romelu Lukaku a world-class finisher who has joined the pantheon of great World Cup goalscorers at this tournament. Lukaku’s three strikes in North America have put him level with Diego Maradona, Rudi Voller and Rivaldo on eight World Cup goals. 

The clash with Spain is Belgium’s third quarter-final in four World Cups and fourth overall; the Red Devils beat La Roja at this stage in 1986 and Brazil in 2018, sandwiching a loss to Argentina in 2014. For Spain, the quarter-finals have not often been a happy hunting ground. They have only cleared the last eight twice, making it to the final group stage in 1950 and beating Paraguay on their way to lifting the trophy in South Africa 60 years later. 

With Rodri the midfield anchor, Pedri and Dani Olmo bringing craft between the lines and Lamine Yamal continuing to show why he is one of the tournament’s most exciting talents, a showdown with Belgium offers the 2010 champions another chance to show that their new generation is ready to add to that historic World Cup triumph.

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What they said…

“We’re feeling well and if we keep improving, we’ll hopefully bring our A-game against Spain, as we’ll certainly need it. We need to believe in ourselves first and foremost, I think that’s our priority. This Spain team is obviously the favourite. They won the last [UEFA] EURO. They are a top-quality team… but we won’t have an inferiority complex. We know that they’re a good team but we also have our strengths to assert. We are determined to challenge them to the point, where hopefully, we can knock them out. That is our objective and we don’t have any other, as we don’t want to stop now that things are going so well.” Rudi Garcia, Belgium coach

“It speaks for itself that Spain is a fantastic team, players that play for the best clubs in the world. If we want to achieve anything, we’re going to have to be at our best like we did against the USA.” Charles De Ketelaere, Belgium forward

“Our quarter-final against Spain is going to be tough. I think we’ll have to play the perfect match to go through. We’ll need to be solid defensively, solid in attack and be pragmatic and decisive. The perfect match… then we’ll see.” Nicholas Raskin, Belgium midfielder

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Previous World Cup Meetings

Spain and Belgium have met twice before at the FIFA World Cup™, with honours even at one victory apiece. Their first encounter came in the 1986 quarter-finals, when the Red Devils edged past their opponent courtesy of a penalty shoot-out. Jan Ceulemans fired Belgium ahead before Juan Senor equalised five minutes from time to force extra time. Neither side could find a winner, and Belgium prevailed 5-4 on spot-kicks, with Leo Van der Elst converting the decisive effort to send his side into the semi-finals.

The two nations met again four years later in the group stage at Italy 1990, with Spain gaining their revenge in a 2-1victory. Michel opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Patrick Vervoort levelled for Belgium, only for defender Alberto Gorriz to restore Spain’s lead. The result secured top spot in Group E for Spain, although Belgium also progressed to the Round of 16 as runners-up

ROAD TO QUARTER FINALS

Match Preview

• Spain, aiming to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2010
• 9 – 🇧🇪 Belgium’s substitutes have contributed nine goals at this year’s FIFA World Cup (5 goals, 4 assists), an all-time record in a single edition.

After crushing the “American Dream”  by taking down cohosts USA in a politically influenced encounter, Belgium are gearing up for their next big challenge.

They face the daunting task of tackling Spain, whose robust defence and careful, possession-based football have made them one of the bookmakers’ favourites at the tournament.

Since an unconvincing performance in the first match, Spain have improved with each contest and punched their ticket to the quarterfinals in style.

They are the first team in history to keep six consecutive World Cup clean sheets – a record achieved by taking out Portugal on Monday and ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s last for a world title.

Belgium’s knockout campaign in North America has been nothing short of a roller-coaster, and come Friday, it could take another turn if they upset the reigning European champions to reach the semifinals.Al Jazeera tells you everything about Spain vs Belgium:

How Did Spain And Belgium Reach The Quarterfinals?

Spain topped Group H with seven points, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay and drawing with Cape Verde. They began their knockout campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of Austria in the round of 32 before beating Portugal 1-0  with a late goal in an Iberian football derby in the round of 16.

Belgium topped Group G with five points, winning against New Zealand, and drawing with Iran and Egypt. They defeated Senegal 3-2 in extra time in the round of 32 before thrashing USA 4-1 in the last 16 contest that was eclipsed by the bitter row over Folarin Balogun’s red card ban.  

Courtois Is Confident Belgium Can Take Down Spain

There may be only five spots between Spain’s and Belgium’s FIFA rankings with La Roja third and Belgium eighth, but the gap in their quality is quite stark.

Spain, the 2010 world champions, are unbeaten in 35 matches, a run that has turned coach Luis de la Fuente’s side from promising European champions into a team that exert confident control over their opponents.

Historically, Belgium have been far behind their Spanish counterparts, especially at major tournaments, having been knocked out in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup and in the last 16 at Euro 2024.

Yet goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes Belgium can pull off an upset after finally beginning to show some form at the tournament with a come-from-behind extra-time win and a statement performance in their last two games.

Spain vs Belgium Prediction

The Opta supercomputer gives Spain a 59.3 percent likelihood of winning in regulation time while Belgium’s chances of winning are 18.3 percent.

The model estimated a 22.4 percent probability of the game going to extra time.

Head To Head

Spain and Belgium have met twice at the World Cup with honours even at one victory apiece.

Their first meeting dates back to 1986 when Belgium beat Spain 5-4 on penalties in the quarterfinals. Then they met in the group stage in 1990 with Spain winning 2-1.

Friday’s match will be Belgium’s third quarterfinal in four World Cups and fourth overall.

For Spain, the quarterfinals have not often been a happy hunting ground. They have only cleared this stage twice, making it to the final group stage in 1950 and beating Paraguay on their way to lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010.

Team News

Belgium’s midfielder Amadou Onana will miss the remainder of the World Cup after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the last match.

No injuries have been reported in the Spain camp.

Spain’s Predicted Lineup (Media)

(4-2-3-1): Simon (goalkeeper); Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal

Belgium’s Predicted Lineup

(4-3-3): Courtois (goalkeeper); Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin, Vanaken; Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Trossard

Spain Possible Starting XI (FIFA)

Unai Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal

Belgium Possible Starting XI

Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin, Vanaken; Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Trossard

TEAM NEWS

Who Is The Star Player For Each Team?

We are yet to really see Yamal burst into life in this tournament. He was subdued again by Portugal’s Nuno Mendes in the last 16 and, when the left-back was forced off injured, his replacement Nelson Semedo did a decent job of containing the winger, too.

Against a Belgium defence that has had its issues in this tournament, perhaps this will be the game he truly announces himself on the World Cup stage. Olmo was one of the few attacking starters to impress against Portugal and Spain have looked better going forward since he was inserted into the line-up.

Belgium’s biggest stars in Lukaku and De Bruyne may not start this match, and the team’s recent improvement has been a collective effort. Leandro Trossard leads all players for chances created with 17, while Tielemans’ composure in midfield and box-crashing runs have been crucial.

Is There Any History In This Match-Up?

The two teams have met 23 times, beginning with Belgium beating Spain 3-1 at the 1920 Olympics on home turf in Antwerp.

Their highest profile meeting to date came in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Jan Ceulemans’ diving header put Belgium in front, but Spain equalised with five minutes left via a 30-yard thunderbolt from Juan Senor. That led to a penalty shoot-out in which Belgian goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff’s save from Eloy Olaya was crucial, beginning a run of just one win in five shootouts for Spain at World Cups.

Spain got a measure of revenge four years later in 2-1 group-phase win at Italia 1990, which saw Spain through as group winners while Belgium qualified in second place.

The Spanish have won all five meetings during the 21st century, including two qualifying victories on the way to World Cup 2010. A 5-0 victory in La Coruna served notice of what they would be capable of at the tournament in South Africa.

Their most recent meeting came in Brussels in September 2016 — a 2-0 friendly win for Spain in which Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, Lukaku, Thomas Meunier and De Bruyne all played.

Where Will This Game Be Won? 

Out wide.

Yamal is one of the biggest one-on-one threats in the tournament and while he has not come to the party just yet, there have been occasional signs of his brilliance and promising link-up play with right-back Pedro Porro.

On the other side, Marc Cucurella and Baena have been excellent at overloading the wide spots to create opportunities for runs in behind, like the one below against Austria.

Belgium under Garcia have regularly used off-the-ball runs from their full-backs to support the wingers in getting dangerous balls into the box, as in the example below from their 5-1 win over New Zealand.

Both teams have created three chances from low crosses, the joint-highest at the tournament (along with the Netherlands and Switzerland). Belgium rank first for first-time shots with 58, with Spain not far behind in third with 46.

The other key factor is how effective both teams are out of possession.

Spain counter-press aggressively when they lose the ball and that has been effective. Belgium have had issues in preventing teams from bypassing their midfield, while their six errors leading to a shot only trailing the United States and Brazil (seven each). They have conceded 53 shots in total, nearly double Spain’s 29.

One Thing About Spain That’s Going To Make Me Look Clever To My Friends

• No team has drawn their opponents offside more often at this tournament than Spain (18 occasions). Simultaneously, no team has won more possessions in the final third than their 36. They have in-possession quality, but their success is grounded in excellence without the ball.

One Thing About Belgium That’s Going To Make Me Look Clever To My Friends

• Belgium have have 32 shots at this tournament blocked by an opponent, more than any other team. Only 14 of their 107 total efforts have been clear shots — defined as shots with zero or one defender in the way — and they have scored with 13 of those, a better ratio than France (14 from 18), England (11 from 15) and Spain (nine from 12).

Who will the winner face in the semifinals?

Who will the winner face in the semifinals?

The winner of the Spain vs Belgium match will face France in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas. France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to reach the last-four.

World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018, France have created another special team and are favourites to win the 2026 competition.

They showed just why they remain the team to beat this year with an impressive 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday to become the first nation into the semi-finals.

France have also won the European Championship twice, but has Didier Deschamps, in his final tournament as manager, created the best ever Les Bleus team?

If they lift the trophy on 19 July, they can justify that claim, with former midfielder Patrick Vieira, who played in the 3-0 final win over Brazil in 1998, saying this current crop were on the verge of greatness.

Speaking on the game, Vieira said: “We’re talking about a generation of players and when you look at the squad and the attacking players, it is maybe one of the best, because you have so many players – it is so unbelievable.”

France’s victory in Boston came with two goals in a six-minute spell in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe’s opener quickly followed by a goal from Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele.

Those goals were the 15th and 16th France have scored in this tournament, more than any other team, although the other three quarter-finals are still to take place.

Mbappe’s goal, which came after he had a first-half penalty saved, was his eighth of the tournament – moving him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi as top scorer, although Mbappe is currently leading the race for Golden Boot because he has more assists than the Argentine.

Dembele now has five goals in this tournament, and France are only the second side in the past 50 years to have two players score five or more goals at the same World Cup tournament, after Brazil in 2002 (Ronaldo eight, Rivaldo five).

“France are the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament,” said former Scotland striker Pat Nevin.

“They have more than one [threat]. They have two, three, four that are capable.”