Belgium eliminated the United States with a 4-1 victory in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 on Monday night and followed the win with pointed social-media posts referencing the controversy surrounding U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
The defeat marked the fourth time in the past five World Cups that the U.S. exited in the round of 16; the only exception in that span was 2018, when the U.S. failed to qualify. Belgium had also beaten the U.S. in the round of 16 in 2014.
Balogun was available to play after FIFA suspended a red card he received against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, a decision announced on Sunday. Belgium’s federation expressed shock at the reversal, and manager Rudi Garcia said he thought the suspension decision was an “April Fools'” joke. Balogun started against Belgium and did not record a goal or an assist.
Belgium’s social-media content drew attention after the match. The team posted an image of Romelu Lukaku celebrating his goal with the caption, “Overturn this,” and an earlier post highlighted the final score with the caption “It’s called FOOTBALL,” with the word “soccer” crossed out. The U.S. is noted in the report as one of the few countries that commonly uses the term “soccer.”
The scoring opened in the ninth minute for Belgium. U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman equalized with a free kick in the 31st minute, but Charles De Ketelaere — who netted the first goal — restored Belgium’s lead with a second goal in the 33rd minute. Hans Vanaken and Lukaku added goals in the second half to complete the 4-1 result.
The loss ended what had been a promising tournament for the U.S., which won its group and defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 before bowing out to Belgium in the round of 16.
