Arsenal striker, Folarin Balogun who is now on loan to Reims, has switched allegiance to the United States Men’s National Team after representing both the United States and England at youth levels for years.
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He is now eligible to be selected by the USMNT to represent the team at the 2026 World Cup. According to FIFA, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s request to change Balogun’s nationality eligibility from England was approved on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
Born on July 3, 2001, Balogun started his career at the Arsenal Academy when he was just 8 years, after being scouted while playing for his previous Sunday League side, Aldersbrook.
Before that, he trained with Tottenham Hotspur Academy and nearly signed for them. He served as an integral part of Arsenal U16 side that won the Liam Brady Cup after beating Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Juventus in 2017.
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Balogun played for England at the under-17 level and appeared in the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He also accepted a call from the United States under-18 national team in August 2018 for a training camp and a tournament in the Czech Republic.
He played in all four of the United States’ games in the tournament in the Vaclav Jezek Youth Tournament and scored twice. In 2019, he appeared and scored for the England under-18 national team in a tournament in Dubai and also made an appearance for the England under-20 against Wales in October 2020.
On the club level, he made his senior debut in the Europe League for Arsenal FC on October 29, 2022, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute in a group stage match against Dundalk. He scored his first senior goal on November 26, 2020, in a Europa League group-stage match against Molde.
Balogun signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal on April 26, 2021. However, he joined Middlesbrough on a loan deal until the end of the 2022 season. In August 2022, he moved on another loan to French club Reims and scored his first goal for the team on August 7.
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