The United States faced a devastating 4-1 defeat against Belgium in their round-of-16 match at the 2026 World Cup on Monday night, compounded by post-match antics from the Red Devils.
This loss marks the fourth time in the last five World Cups that the U.S. has been eliminated in the round of 16, with the only exception being 2018, when the USMNT did not qualify. Belgium previously defeated the U.S. in the same stage during the 2014 tournament.
One of the key narratives leading up to the game was the suspension of a red card issued to American forward Folarin Balogun by FIFA on Sunday, allowing him to participate in the match. Balogun received the red card in a previous game against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The suspension reversal led Belgium’s federation to express their astonishment, with manager Rudi Garcia commenting that the decision felt like an “April Fools'” joke.
Balogun started the match but didn’t contribute any goals or assists. However, Belgium didn’t forget about the controversy, celebrating Romelu Lukaku’s goal on social media with the caption, “Overturn this,” seemingly aimed at mocking Balogun’s eligibility.
Belgium also took the opportunity to emphasize the final score in an earlier post, captioning it with “It’s called FOOTBALL,” while crossing out “soccer.” It’s notable that the U.S. is among the few nations that refer to the sport as “soccer.”
This result capped off a dominant evening for the European side.
Belgium drew first blood in the ninth minute, but U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman equalized with a free kick in the 31st minute. However, Charles De Ketelaere quickly reclaimed the lead for Belgium with a goal just two minutes later. Additional goals from Hans Vanaken and Lukaku in the second half sealed the U.S.’s fate.
This defeat puts an end to what seemed to be a hopeful World Cup campaign for the United States, who had previously won their group and defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32. Unfortunately, they exit the tournament at a familiar juncture, leaving Belgium to revel in their victory.