MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US crash out of World Cup as Belgium win 4-1 amid Balogun red-card storm

“Congratulations to Belgium, they were better than us,” US coach Mauricio Pochettino said

The United States were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing 4-1 to Belgium in the round of 16, played on Monday night in Seattle. The defeat means all three tournament hosts — the United States, Canada and Mexico — have now gone out.

The result was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding US striker Folarin Balogun, who was allowed to play despite receiving a red card in the previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The dismissal carried an automatic one-game suspension, but FIFA suspended the sanction after President Donald Trump called its head, Gianni Infantino, to request a review of the case. Trump said he asked for the review because he did not think the incident was a foul, and acknowledged that he had not initially known what a red card meant.

The decision drew sharp criticism. The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished,” argued that it contradicted the tournament regulations, and alleged that its appeal had been handled so as to be ruled inadmissible. UEFA called the move “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and said it crossed a line. FIFA maintained that the process was conducted by its independent judicial bodies, cited a provision of its disciplinary code allowing a sanction's enforcement to be suspended, and said it had fined the US federation 40,000 dollars. Infantino confirmed Trump's call but denied that it influenced the ruling.

On the pitch, Belgium went ahead early through Charles De Ketelaere. Malik Tillman equalized with a direct free-kick, becoming only the second player in World Cup history to score twice from direct free-kicks in a single tournament. Before half-time, De Ketelaere restored Belgium's lead. In the second half, an error by goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed a third, scored by Hans Vanaken, and Romelu Lukaku completed the scoring in added time.

“From the beginning, we didn't connect with the game. Even when we scored, we conceded the next action. Congratulations to Belgium, they were better than us,” US coach Mauricio Pochettino said. The exit matches the stage at which the United States fell in each of its three previous World Cup appearances.