SEATTLE: Belgium convincingly brought co-hosts USA’s FIFA World Cup 2026™ journey to an end with a dominant 4-1 victory in their Round of 16 clash at the Seattle Stadium. A spectacular first-half brace from Charles De Ketelaere laid the foundation for the Red Devils’ commanding win, sending them through to the quarter-finals.
The match started with Rudi Garcia’s Belgium side putting immediate pressure on the Americans. The breakthrough came early in the 9th minute when Leandro Trossard’s brilliant delivery sparked chaos in the USA defense, allowing Nicolas Raskin to set up De Ketelaere for an easy tap-in.
Mauricio Pochettino’s USA side briefly clawed their way back into the game in the 31st minute when Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick caught Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois off guard, leveling the score. However, the American celebrations were short-lived. Just 116 seconds later, Trossard delivered another precise cross from the left, and De Ketelaere headed home his second of the night to restore Belgium’s lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts in the second half. In the 57th minute, a major defensive blunder saw USA goalkeeper Matt Freese miss a clearance after rushing out of his box. De Ketelaere capitalized on the error, passing to Hans Vanaken, who smoothly lofted the ball into an empty net from long range.
Despite late attempts from USA substitutes Sebastian Berhalter and Folarin Balogun, Courtois stood firm. Deep into stoppage time (90+3′), substitute Romelu Lukaku pounced on a loose clearance to smash home Belgium’s fourth goal, putting the result completely beyond doubt.
With this defeat, the USA joins fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico in exiting the tournament in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, a high-stakes quarter-final clash awaits Belgium, as they prepare to face Spain—who eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal—at the Los Angeles Stadium on July 10.
