Belgium routs USA 4-1 in World Cup last 16 after Trump's intervention fails to save host nation
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and a goalkeeping error gifted Belgium a third goal as the Red Devils knocked the United States out of their home World Cup with a 4-1 win in Seattle.
Match recap
Belgium overwhelmed the United States 4-1 in the round of 16 at Seattle Stadium on Monday, ending the last host nation's run at the 2026 World Cup. Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the 9th minute, tapping in from close range after a Nicolas Raskin recovery. Malik Tillman equalised for the Americans in the 31st minute with a deflected free-kick that wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois, becoming the first US player to score in consecutive World Cup knockout matches.
Belgium needed only 61 seconds to regain the lead. De Ketelaere headed in a Leandro Trossard cross from four metres in the 33rd minute, his eighth international goal. The Americans pushed after the break but created little, and the contest turned on a mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese in the 57th minute. Freese collected a long ball outside his area, hesitated, and was dispossessed by De Ketelaere, allowing Hans Vanaken to roll the ball into an empty net. Romelu Lukaku added a fourth in stoppage time.
- De Ketelaere opens the scoring from close range after Raskin's recovery.
- Tillman equalises with a deflected free-kick.
- De Ketelaere heads in Trossard's cross to restore Belgium's lead.
- Freese error allows Vanaken to score into an empty net.
- Lukaku scores Belgium's fourth goal.
The Balogun controversy
At the centre of the build-up was the eligibility of striker Folarin Balogun. He had been sent off in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and faced an automatic one-match ban. FIFA rules do not allow appeals against red-card suspensions, but the governing body announced on Sunday that the sanction had been converted to a conditional suspension with a one-year probation period.
President Donald Trump confirmed he had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review.
Infantino later acknowledged the call but said FIFA's disciplinary bodies are independent. Belgium's football association appealed the decision, without success. Balogun started the match and was substituted in the 92nd minute, managing only one dangerous chance.All I did was ask for a review, because I didn't think it was a foul.
Political fallout and reaction
The intervention drew sharp criticism in Belgium and accusations of political interference. After the final whistle, the Belgian national team's Facebook page posted a picture of celebrating players with the caption:
It's called football, not soccer.
All three co-hosts have now been eliminated. Canada and Mexico also lost in the round of 16. Belgium will face Spain in the quarter-finals, after Spain defeated Portugal.
Key performers
De Ketelaere's double took him to eight goals for Belgium. Vanaken, who had come on as a first-half substitute for Amadou Onana, capitalised on Freese's error. Lukaku's late strike sealed the rout. For the US, Tillman's free-kick was a rare bright spot in a match where Mauricio Pochettino's side struggled to create clear openings. The referee was Adham Mohammad of Jordan.
