Not the North American World Cup, but the 'Trump' World Cup? "Even if the U.S. Won, It Would Have Been Labeled with Trump"

U.S. President Donald Trump's direct contact with FIFA to overturn the suspension of U.S. national team player Balogun during the 2026 North and Central American World Cup is drawing criticism from local media.

In an editorial titled "Referee Donald Trump" published on July 7 (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) pointed out, "The world was just beginning to view the United States positively thanks to this tournament, and that was exactly when the President called FIFA."

The editorial argued that regardless of the criticism that Balogun's expulsion in the Round of 32 was an excessive decision, it was wrong for President Trump to intervene in the suspension by calling the FIFA president directly.

The editorial criticized, "President Trump insisted on his years of experience watching sports on TV, asserting that Balogun's foul was never a foul, and unfairly attacked the ethics of the referee by saying, 'I know a lot about this kind of thing.'"

It further criticized, "As a result, the U.S. team had to play the match under suspicion of political interference, and even if the U.S. team had won the game, it would have been labeled with the Trump tag."

The Wall Street Journal condemned the move, stating, "This World Cup showed the friendly and humble side of Americans to soccer fans from all over the world, and it was an encouraging scene demonstrating U.S. soft power," but added, "President Trump's intervention turned this World Cup entirely into a story about Trump."

Previously, on July 2, one day before the Round of 16 match between the U.S. and Belgium, FIFA suspended the one-year ban for Balogun, who had received a red card in the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite Balogun's participation, the U.S. suffered a 1-4 crushing defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16.

Mentioning the U.S. team's heavy defeat, The Wall Street Journal added, "It is unclear whether the red card controversy affected the match, but it would have been better for the players if there had been no Trump intervention."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News

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