Belgium national football team produced another statement performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as the Red Devils thrashed hosts USA 4-1 in the Round of 16 to march into the quarter-finals. After surviving a dramatic comeback against Senegal in the previous round, Rudi Garcia's men left no room for error this time, delivering a ruthless display to end the United States' dream on home soil.
Charles De Ketelaere starred with a sensational first-half brace, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also found the net as Belgium booked a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Spain. Malik Tillman scored the only goal for the United States, whose memorable World Cup campaign came to an end in Seattle.
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Belgium looked dangerous from the opening whistle and nearly found the breakthrough when Timothy Castagne forced Matt Freese into a brilliant save. Moments later, Youri Tielemans went inches away from converting Dodi Lukebakio's inviting cross as the Red Devils continued to pile on the pressure.
Their persistence paid off in the ninth minute. Leandro Trossard whipped in a teasing delivery that caused chaos inside the USA penalty area before Nicolas Raskin squared the ball for Charles De Ketelaere, who calmly tapped home to hand Belgium a deserved lead.
The hosts struggled to cope with Belgium's attacking intensity but found an unlikely equaliser in the 31st minute. Malik Tillman's free-kick took a wicked deflection, wrong-footing Thibaut Courtois and bringing the home crowd back to life.
Belgium’s Dominant Performance
Just 116 seconds later, Trossard delivered another inch-perfect cross and De Ketelaere rose highest to power a brilliant header into the net, restoring Belgium's advantage before half-time and silencing the Seattle Stadium.
The second half followed a similar pattern as Belgium continued to dominate proceedings. USA's hopes suffered a massive blow in the 57th minute after a costly defensive error. Matt Freese rushed out of his area attempting to clear the danger but completely missed the ball, allowing De Ketelaere to regain possession before Hans Vanaken fired into the empty net from distance to make it 3-1.
The Stars and Stripes continued to fight in front of their supporters. Sebastian Berhalter dragged an effort wide before Courtois produced another excellent save to deny Folarin Balogun, but Belgium always looked in complete control.
As USA pushed bodies forward in stoppage time searching for a miracle, Belgium delivered the final punch. A loose clearance fell kindly to substitute Romelu Lukaku, who calmly slotted home in the 93rd minute to complete a commanding 4-1 victory and send the Red Devils into the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia praised his team's mentality after another impressive display. "To everyone who got up in the middle of the night to support us, I'd like to say a huge thank you. They should be happy and proud of their players today. We showed that Belgium is a great football nation."
The defeat also marked the end of the road for the final remaining co-host after Canada and Mexico had already exited the tournament. Belgium, meanwhile, will now face Spain in one of the biggest quarter-final clashes of the competition.
USA manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted his side were second best on the day. "It was really tough from the beginning. We congratulate Belgium; they were better than us. It wasn't our day. We need to learn, assess the game, and understand why we did not approach this match in the same way as we did throughout the rest of the World Cup."