WASHINGTON, Tuesday, July 7, 2026 (WAFA) — Belgium ruthlessly ended the United States' World Cup campaign on Monday night, dismantling the co-hosts 4-1 in Seattle to secure a spot in the quarterfinals and deny the Americans their first last-eight appearance in 24 years.
The highly anticipated Round of 16 encounter was preceded by severe diplomatic and sporting turbulence. US striker Folarin Balogun was controversially cleared to play despite a red card in the previous round—a stunning reversal by FIFA that followed a personal phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino requesting a review. Despite a pre-match appeal from the Belgian delegation being rejected on Monday morning, FIFA stood by the reinstatement while handing Balogun and US Soccer a $40,000 fine.
On the pitch, Belgian fans greeted the decision by waving red cards at kickoff, and the Red Devils channeled their frustration directly into their performance. Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring for Belgium before the US temporarily found a lifeline. Balogun drew a foul outside the box, allowing Malik Tillman to fire home a brilliant free kick to level the score at 1-1.
However, the American joy lasted a mere two minutes. De Ketelaere struck again, nodding home a precise header to immediately restore Belgium’s lead and leave US manager Mauricio Pochettino exasperated on the touchline.
The second half exposed terminal defensive lapses from the co-hosts. In the 57th minute, US goalkeeper Matt Freese committed a catastrophic error outside his penalty area, gifting Hans Vanaken an open net to make it 3-1. Romelu Lukaku then put the exclamation point on the rout deep into stoppage time, capitalizing on another defensive collapse to seal the 4-1 victory.
While Belgium marches on to the quarterfinals, the United States exits its home tournament in a cloud of controversy, unable to replicate the magic of their previous round victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
K.T
