Belgium Crushes USA to Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals

Belgium hammered the United States 4-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash at Seattle Stadium in Washington, booking a place in the quarterfinals.

Belgium will now face Spain in the quarterfinal on Friday after Spain beat Portugal 1-0 earlier on Monday.

The United States’ elimination means all three World Cup co-hosts are now out of the tournament, following the Round of 16 exits of Canada and Mexico.

Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring early as the Red Devils dominated proceedings. A deflected Malik Tillman free kick brought the United States level, but just 56 seconds later, De Ketelaere restored Belgium’s lead.

Hans Vanaken scored Belgium’s third goal in the 57th minute to make it 3-1.

Matt Freese failed to clear the ball, allowing De Cuyper to set up Vanaken. His shot slipped past Tim Ream and into the net.

Romelu Lukaku, who came off the bench, scored in the 93rd minute to complete the 4-1 victory.

De Ketelaere had opened the scoring for Belgium in the ninth minute. Leandro Trossard played the ball in from deep as he looked to deliver it into the box. The United States failed to clear the danger, allowing De Ketelaere to score with a simple tap-in.

The United States responded through Tillman in the 31st minute. His free kick took a heavy deflection and completely caught Thibaut Courtois off guard.

However, Belgium regained the lead just 56 seconds later, with De Ketelaere scoring again in the 33rd minute. Trossard once again provided the assist, producing strong play on the left before whipping the ball in for De Ketelaere, who scored his second goal of the game.

United States striker Folarin Balogun was allowed to start after FIFA suspended the red-card sanction he received in the team’s last-32 match against Bosnia. A FIFA appeals committee rejected Belgium’s challenge to the decision.

However, Balogun, the United States’ top scorer at the 2026 World Cup with three goals, did not make an impact on the match.