USA 1-4 Belgium: Red Devils send World Cup warning as beast finally awakens

Belgium is finally alive, producing a statement 4-1 victory beat the United States of America in their last 16 match at Seattle Stadium on Tuesday.

Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also found the net as the Red Devils edged past USA to book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.

That emphatic victory sets up an eighth final against Spain in Los Angeles after the reign. The European champions beat Portugal 1-0 on Monday.

USA 1-4 Belgium: A familiar story once again emerged from the home team

After a good start to the game, the USA is expected to beat Belgium, many even support Mauricio Pochettino’s team to make a big challenge to win the World Cup.

Instead, the Americans bowed out in the round of 16, as a painfully familiar story repeated itself.

They also failed in the last 16 competition, although the expanded 48-team format at least allowed them to register a first-ever victory before their campaign came to an abrupt end.

The USA has struggled to live up to expectations, and its defeat means that all three participating countries are out of this stage, Canada lost to Morocco, Mexico fell to England and now the Americans were defeated by Belgium.

USA 1-4 Belgium: Pochettino mishandled Folarin Balogun’s case

© Imago / IMAGO / Belga

Before Romelu Lukaku put the finishing touches on Belgium’s victory, Folarin Balogun was withdrawn, and the striker cut down a dejected man on the bench at the final whistle.

This tournament was supposed to be explained by the change of strategy and the fact that the USA intends to expose the weakness of Belgium, however, Donald Trump is once again in the headlines.

The President of the United States has called on FIFA to review Balogun’s suspension following his red card in the previous round, and it’s hard not to wonder what effect the controversy has had on the striker and the dressing room.

For some, such external intervention can serve as a source of motivation; for others, it becomes an unnecessary distraction.

Pochettino should have shown the courage to leave Balogun on the bench, not as a footballing decision but because it was a clean way to protect both player and team from the inevitable storm.

Instead, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss threw Balogun into the eye of the fray, and he ended up backpedaling, costing the USA dearly when they couldn’t afford it.

USA 1-4 Belgium: Brave calls from Rudi Garcia

USA 1-4 Belgium

Belgium scored a great goal in Seattle, defeating their teammates USA 4-1 in this last 16 game. It was a well-deserved win for the Belgians, who played outside the US who are out of sorts.

All three hosts are now out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. pic.twitter.com/V21mogxp6T

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 7, 2026

Truth be told, Belgium had never looked convincing before this point.

The Red Devils had been defeated by Senegal in the Round of 32, but finally broke the chains of confidence.

Their golden generation often deceives with deception on the biggest stage, yet the sleeping giants finally seem to have woken up from their slumber.

Belgium did not need to produce something impressive after the break, they calmly saw the competition, but the amazing feeling is that Garcia still has several gears left to find if needed.

Garcia made a bold decision to drop Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku from the starting line-up, and it paid off handsomely, with the pair also making a big impact off the bench.

USA 1-4 Belgium: The third goal killed all hopes for the hosts

A disastrous mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese, combined with a similar save from Tim Ream, gave Belgium the spark and control they craved, but a third goal proved the final straw for the home side, who never recovered.

As time went on, Pochettino’s team ran out of ideas, lacked real conviction and seemed to have no other plan to return to the competition.

It was as if the home team lost all faith, and after a promising contest, the third goal turned disappointment into the inevitable.

USA 1-4 Belgium: De Ketelaere shines, Onana injured

© Imago / IMAGO / Image News

For the fourth time in this World Cup, Garcia preferred Charles De Ketelaere to Belgium’s record goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku.

The Atalanta striker, who had failed to score in the competition before the clash on the west coast of the United States, rewarded his manager’s faith with two superbly taken goals, both from clever moves to escape his marker.

Lukaku still has his name in the history books, however, becoming the first substitute to score three goals in a single World Cup after netting Belgium’s fourth.

The only morale-boosting factor in the victory was the injury to Amadou Onana, who may have suffered a torn ACL and could miss the rest of the tournament.

Lukaku then made a touching gesture by lifting Onana’s shirt in honor of his teammate after scoring the fourth goal, putting the final nail in USA’s coffin.

Although Spain will enter the quarter-finals as favourites, they now face a Belgian team that has regained its confidence, allowing its untapped potential and finally starting to believe again – a frightening prospect for the entire World Cup.