The US team was eliminated from the World Cup (2026 World Cup) after losing to Belgium in the round of 16 with a score of 1:4. The match in Seattle received special attention after the controversial decision of the International Football Federation (FIFA) to temporarily lift the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun. Thanks to a confident victory, the Belgians reached the quarterfinals – on July 10 in Inglewood (California) they will meet the Spanish national team, CNN reports.
The Belgians opened the scoring in the ninth minute – their opponents were unable to clear the ball from the penalty area, after which it ended up in the hands of Belgian forward Charles De Ketelare, who scored the first goal and put his team ahead. In the 31st minute, USA midfielder Malik Tillman equalized the score with a free kick. Within a few minutes, De Ketelare scored a double.
In the 57th minute, the US national team made a mistake: national team goalkeeper Matt Freese came out of the gate and took the ball with his chest outside the penalty area, after which he unsuccessfully processed the ball – De Ketelare took over the initiative and passed the ball to his partner Hans Vanaken, who scored a goal into an empty net.
The final score was established in stoppage time. Romelu Lukaku powerfully sent the ball into the far corner of the goal past the diving Frieze and brought the Belgians' advantage to three goals – the game ended with a score of 4:1.
Immediately after the goal, Lukaku and his teammates celebrated the success by performing the Donald Trump dance, with rhythmic movements of their hands clenched into fists, in defiance of the Americans.
After Belgium scored their 4th goal vs USA, the whole team mocked President Donald Trump by doing his signature dance move
Pretty savage troll, especially on US soil & after Trump fought to have FIFA review the bogus red card suspension on Balogun.
Well played 🤝 pic.twitter.com/HRgRwUUzNH
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) July 7, 2026
On the eve of the match, it became known that the US President had contacted FIFA head Gianni Infantino. Shortly after this, the organization temporarily canceled the red card that the footballer received earlier in the match with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Trump himself said that he was just asking to “rewatch the episode.” He noted that the referee who made the decision to send off Balogun “looks a little suspicious.”
As CNN notes, despite the advantage in ball possession, the Americans were unable to force the Belgians to go on the defensive. The Belgian national team confidently controlled the situation and practically did not allow their opponents to create dangerous moments.
Another serious blow for the tournament hosts was the injury of team captain Christian Pulisic, writes Associated Press. In the 52nd minute, the midfielder injured his right ankle after a collision with Youri Tielemans. He was substituted seven minutes later and watched the rest of the match from the bench. Pulisic finished the tournament without scoring goals. Folarin Balogun, despite returning to the squad, also did not score either goals or assists in the match with Belgium.
The defeat was the United States' seventh in a row in matches against Belgium. The American team failed to make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament – the last time it managed to do so was in 2002. Since then, the US team has finished playing at the world championships for the fourth time at the 1/8 final stage.
Ronaldo's last World Cup and Spain's victory
On July 6, another match took place, in which the Spanish team beat Portugal with a score of 1:0. The victory for the Spaniards was brought by a goal from Mikel Merino, scored in stoppage time, The New York Times reports. The midfielder burst into the free zone between the Portuguese central defenders and sent the ball into the net with an accurate low shot.
After the final whistle, Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo could not contain his emotions. Even before the start of the tournament, the 41-year-old football player said that this World Cup would be his last. Shortly after the defeat, Portuguese national team head coach Roberto Martinez announced his resignation after three and a half years with the national team.
📸 | Ronaldo leaves the pitch in tears.. Big disappointment pic.twitter.com/MKYkWl1R4s
— Jude (@Judealha) July 7, 2026
During his career, Ronaldo scored a record 976 goals in 1,326 matches, but was never able to lead Portugal to victory at the World Cup. The defeat by Spain was another disappointment: for the fourth time, the team with Ronaldo in its lineup failed to make it past the 1/8 finals. Ronaldo scored his only field goals in the current tournament in the match against Uzbekistan, Yahoo Sports notes.
