Folarin Balogun 2026 World Cup turned on two goals from the Brooklyn-born striker, who lifted the United States past Paraguay in their opening World Cup game. He is eligible for the USA because he was born in Brooklyn on 3 July 2001, even though Donald Trump’s executive order would target people in his position.
Balogun is 24 years old and scored twice in the 4-1 win. The United States now carries that start into Australia in Seattle on Friday at 20:00 BST, while the Supreme Court is due to rule on Trump's executive order within weeks.
Brooklyn and 3 July 2001
His path into the United States setup runs through birthright citizenship. Under the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, Balogun was automatically granted US citizenship after being born in Brooklyn, New York on 3 July 2001.
That detail sits at the center of the wider debate. His Nigerian parents were living in London when they traveled to New York in the summer of 2001, and his mother was not allowed on the flight home when airline attendants realized she was heavily pregnant.
USA beat Paraguay 4-1
On the field, he supplied the difference. Balogun scored two goals for the United States against Paraguay in their opening World Cup game, a return that drew the kind of praise that usually goes to a team’s most dependable finisher.
Christian Pulisic said the US were “really lucky” to have him, adding, “The kid's insane,” and “He's lethal right now in front of goal. Let's just hope it keeps going like this.” Kenny Cooper called Balogun “a proven goalscorer at the highest level” and said he had “two exceptional goals” against Paraguay.
Trump's executive order
The friction is obvious. Balogun is a major United States striker only because birth in Brooklyn automatically gave him citizenship, while Trump's executive order seeks to deny citizenship to the children of people who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
That is why his case is being used as a live example of what is at stake. The United States has a World Cup forward in form, and the US Supreme Court is due to decide within weeks whether the policy that would touch people like him can stand.
