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The opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 went as well as you can imagine for the United States Men’s National Team.
The US jumped to a 3-0 lead over Paraguay in the first half and then cruised home for a comfortable 4-1 win. While several American players had big impacts in the opening match, none had as big an impact as the strike Folarin Balogun.
The 24-year-old, who plays for AS Monaco in the French league, scored two goals in the first half, including a fantastic strike on the counter-attack, to put the USMNT 3-0 ahead just before half-time.
The US has guys like that now. Folarin Balogun holy hell pic.twitter.com/XfKLOsCtFk
— Dave (@davebftv) June 13, 2026
Folarin Balogun is only eligible to play for the United States thanks to an airline
Balogun chose to play for the United States in 2023 over powerhouse England and Nigeria, the latter of which missed out on the World Cup for the second time in a row despite being one of the sport’s most talented African countries.
Both his parents are from Nigeria and he spent his childhood in England, where he joined the legendary Arsenal academy at the age of eight.
How did Balogun become eligible to play for the United States? Well, it’s a funny story.
Balogun’s parents visited New York in 2001, when his mother was seven months pregnant. When the time came for them to fly back to London, airline staff banned his mother from boarding the flight due to the risks associated with how far along in her pregnancy she was at the time.
Instead, they stayed in the country, and Balogun was born in Brooklyn on July 3, 2001 (unfortunately, she couldn’t wait another day for dramatic effect).
The couple remained in the US until Balogun was two months old, when they returned to England.
Frankly, that airline employee should be highlighted as a national hero.
The USMNT is as talented as it’s ever been. But Balogun is the key to making everything work. He is a dynamic striker who has shown that he can score in multiple ways in the top competition in the world.
If the United States wants to make a long run at this World Cup, Balogun will likely play a big role, and the country has a courageous airline employee to thank for that.
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