HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — At Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub in Hollywood, U.S. fans had strong opinions about the return of forward Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium on Monday night during a Round of 16 match.
During a Round of 32 match, Balogun stepped on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic. After a slow-motion review, Brazilian referee Raphael Claus handed him a red card
President Donald Trump said he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the call. A FIFA committee decided to suspend the one-game ban and rejected the Belgian soccer federation’s appeal.
“I am really excited. Hopefully, we can get a result. We need some revenge for 2014 here. It’s great to have him back,“ said Sam Goldfarb, a Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub patron.
The winner of the Round of 16 direct-knockout match between the U.S. and Belgium will play against Spain at 3 p.m. on July 10 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals.
“They should have just let the game be the game and not interfere,“ said Francisco Alarco, a Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub patron.
Related story: Historic World Cup furor at ‘incomprehensible’ FIFA decision to let U.S. forward Balogun play
The last two Round of 16 matches are on Tuesday: Argentina vs. Egypt at noon in Atlanta, and Colombia vs. Switzerland at 4 p.m. in Vancouver.
The winners of the two matches will advance to the quarterfinal match at 9 p.m. on July 11.
The Round of 16‘s eight single-elimination knockout matches started on Saturday. Portugal, Canada, Paraguay, Mexico, and Brazil were eliminated.
Morocco and France advanced to a quarterfinal match scheduled at 4 p.m. on July 9th.
Norway and England advanced to a quarterfinal match scheduled at 5 p.m. on July 11.
The tournament, held every four years, started with 48 teams on June 11.
After matches within 12 groups of four, 16 teams were eliminated. The Round of 32 matches eliminated 16 more from June 28 to Friday.
Related link: View the knockout bracket
TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals
July 9: Morocco vs. France at 4 p.m.
July 10: There is a quarterfinal match at 3 p.m.
July 11: Norway vs. England is at 5 p.m. There is a quarterfinal match at 9 p.m.
Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.
Semifinals
July 14: The fan festival is closed. There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.
July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.
Finals
July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m. at the Miami Stadium, better known as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.
Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.
July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.
Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.
Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.
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