Belgium delivered a footballing lesson to co-hosts USA on Monday (Jul 6), thrashing the co-host 4-1 in the Round of 16 to book a quarter-final date with Spain in Los Angeles on Friday (Jul 20).
Charles De Ketelaere struck twice, Hans Vanaken pounced on a horror error from goalkeeper Matt Freese, and veteran Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to complete the rout at Seattle’s Lumen Field. The result ended a dream run for the tournament co-hosts and brought a bitterly disappointing close to a campaign that had gripped the host nation, denying the USA a first World Cup quarter-final appearance in 24 years.
Belgium overcome Balogun drama
The tie had been overshadowed even before kickoff by a storm around US striker Folarin Balogun, who was named in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI a day after FIFA suspended a one-match ban on him following lobbying from US President Donald Trump. Belgium’s football federation had challenged his eligibility earlier on Monday (Jul 6), but FIFA threw out the appeal without much deliberation.
Where to watch and live stream Belgium’s FIFA World Cup 2026 matches?
Belgium’s knockout matches in FIFA World Cup 2026 will be aired LIVE across WION’s sister company Zee5 app and website. (link: