FIFA has appointed Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh to officiate the United States’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Belgium on July 6 at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
The appointment of the officiating referee came just hours after President Donald Trump’s publicly praised the football governing body for its decision to allow U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play.
According to FIFA, the U.S. striker Folarin Balogun received a red card during the United States’ 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Initially, Balogun had been shown a yellow card, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) upgraded the challenge to a straight red for serious foul play.
Following a VAR check, Balogun received an automatic one-match suspension under normal World Cup regulations.
However, on July 5, the US president posted on the Truth Social shortly after FIFA announced clearance of the striker to take part in the Round of 16 clash, expressing his support for the FIFA decision.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice,” Donald Trump stated.
Before the lifting of the red card ban on the striker, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had criticized Balogun’s suspension, arguing the United States had been treated unfairly.
FIFA has, however, clarified that during the match, if Folarin Balogun commits a similar offense in the probationary period, the suspended sanction could be enforced in addition to fresh disciplinary action.
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Adham Makhadmeh Officiates USA vs Belgium Round of 16
The Round of 16 fixture will take place at Seattle’s Lumen Field, where the United States will be seeking to reach the last eight of the tournament for the first time since 2002.
On the other hand, Belgium will be playing in pursuit of a maiden FIFA World Cup title.
Further, during the 2014 Round of 16, Belgium defeated the United States 2-1 after extra time, while the Red Devils also recorded a 5-2 victory in an international friendly in early 2026.
Overall, Belgium has won six of the seven meetings between the sides.
With the clearance of Balogun, FIFA has appointed Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh to officiate the United States’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
Adham, 39, is among FIFA’s most experienced referees from the Asian Football Confederation.
In addition, he has been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2013, handling FIFA World Cup qualifiers, AFC Champions League matches, and major international tournaments.
His appointment follows a series of referee performances during the 2026 World Cup, during which he officiated Spain’s group-stage match against Cape Verde.
In addition, the referee has also officiated Belgium’s group fixture against New Zealand and England’s Round of 32 victory over DR Congo.
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Belgium Reaction to FIFA’s Ruling
Following FIFA’s ruling on Balogun, Belgium’s football federation argued that the decision from the football governing body was inconsistent with the tournament’s disciplinary regulations.
According to the Belgian officials, they were “astonished” by Balogun’s eligibility. They cited FIFA rules that provide for an automatic suspension following a direct red card, citing Article 66.4 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 10.5 of the FIFA World Cup Competition Regulations.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia also publicly questioned the ruling during a media briefing.
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