The United States‘ nightmare 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match resulted in a 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday night, and the Red Devils piled on with postgame pettiness.
The defeat marks the fourth time in the past five World Cups that the U.S. exited in the round of 16. The only exception is 2018 when the USMNT failed to qualify for the tournament. Belgium defeated the U.S. in the round of 16 in 2014.
A major storyline heading into the matchup was American striker Folarin Balogun‘s red card being suspended by FIFA on Sunday, resulting in Balogun being available to play Monday. Balogun received the red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday. The reversal prompted a statement from Belgium’s federation expressing its shock, with manager Rudi Garcia saying he thought it was an “April Fools'” joke.
Balogun started against Belgium and didn’t record a goal or assist. However, the controversial nature of his appearance didn’t escape Belgium’s mind. They posted an image of striker Romelu Lukaku celebrating his goal on social media with the caption: “Overturn this,” seemingly referring to Balogun’s availability.
Belgium also highlighted the final score in an earlier post, writing in the caption: “It’s called FOOTBALL,” with “soccer” crossed out. The U.S. is one of the few countries to refer to the sport as “soccer.”
It concluded what was a dominant night for the European side.
Belgium scored first in the ninth minute before U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman converted a free kick in the 31st minute to equalize. Charles De Ketelaere, who netted the first goal, added another in the 33rd minute to push Belgium ahead for good. Hans Vanaken and Lukaku scored two more in the second half to close it out.
The defeat ended what looked to be a promising World Cup for the United States, who won their group and defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32. But their exit comes at a familiar point — and with Belgium having the last laugh.
