U.S. plans to hijack Balogun, make Arsenal starlet 2026 World Cup poster boy

Folarin Balogun

Unless Nigeria acts fast, the United States of America (U.S.) may steal Arsenal starlet, Folarin Balogun. In fact, American football lords plan to make the forward, who is leading the scorers’ chart in France, the poster boy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which they will host alongside Canada and Mexico.

Balogun, who is currently playing for Reims on loan from Arsenal, is still eligible to play for England, Nigeria and the U.S. men’s national team.

Recently, the 21-year-old, who was born in New York, told a local website that he is interested in playing for the country of his parents, Nigeria, adding, however, that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) must first contact him to convince him to do so.

With 15 goals in 23 matches, Balogun sits tied in first place in the Ligue 1 scoring charts alongside Lille’s Jonathan David and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

However, according to some, the USMNT and Nigeria could offer more playing time and room to build a legacy, even if they haven’t performed as well in recent international tournaments.

According to express.co.uk, U.S. fans are doing everything they can to convince him to choose their national team over anyone else.

The reports reveal that several comments under Balogun’s latest posts on Twitter include emojis of the United States flag, as well as pleas for him to make the switch back to his home country ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Those messages are now being relayed by former U.S. international, Eric Wynalda, who has given Balogun three different reasons to snub England and Nigeria in favour of a return to the Stars and Stripes.

In 2000, Wynalda retired from the United States’ national team as its all-time leading goalscorer and believes Balogun is the