Late last week, FIFA announced that it was suspending US striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban received in the team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This followed lobbying from Donald Trump, and would allow Balogun to play in the US team’s next match against Belgium.

While the Americans were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament in a 4-1 defeat at that match, it was not before a great deal of controversy, with accusations that FIFA was breaking the rules at the behest of the US president (although both Trump and FIFA have insisted his call did not influence the organisation’s decision).

Now a new YouGov poll finds that 59% of Britons – and 80% of those who have watched a great deal or fair amount of the 2026 World Cup – say FIFA was wrong to suspend the US striker’s ban.

See the full results here

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