Belgium crushed the U.S. and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup
The Belgian national team became the last team to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, securing a convincing victory over the tournament hosts, the U.S. national team. In the round of 16, the Belgians defeated the Americans 4–1, putting on one of their best performances of this World Cup.
After a less-than-convincing performance in the group stage, the Belgian team managed to redeem itself in this decisive playoff match. At the same time, the match was preceded by a scandal surrounding the disciplinary bodies’ decision to rescind a red card issued to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, which sparked lively debate in the days leading up to the game.
The Belgians started the match strongly and opened the scoring as early as the 9th minute. After a series of deflections, Charles De Ketelaere was first to the rebound and easily slotted the ball into the empty net.
Midway through the first half, the Belgians lost Amadou Onana to injury; he was replaced by Hans Vanaken. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. equalized: in the 31st minute, following a set piece, Malik Tillman headed the ball, and after a deflection off Vanaken, it found its way into the Belgian net.
However, the tie didn’t last long. Just two minutes later, Leandro Trossard delivered a precise cross from the left flank, and De Ketelaere scored his second goal with a header, putting Belgium back in the lead.
After the break, the Belgians confidently controlled the game, and in the 57th minute, Hans Vanaken capitalized on a mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese to make it 3–1. Late in the match, Thibaut Courtois made a save on a shot by Folarin Balogun, and in stoppage time, Romelu Lukaku sealed the final score at 4–1.
In the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, the Belgian national team will face Spain, which narrowly defeated Portugal the day before.
This was reported by Glavkom.
As a reminder, the Spanish national team became the latest quarterfinalist in the 2026 World Cup after narrowly defeating Portugal 1–0 in a highly anticipated Iberian derby.
The Belgian Football Federation has announced its intention to appeal FIFA’s decision allowing forward Folarin Balogun to play in the World Cup.
