The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) was eliminated from the World Cup after a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16. Charles de Ketelaere scored twice for Belgium, with Nicolas Raskin and Hans Vanaken also contributing goals. Romelu Lukaku, a substitute, sealed Belgium's victory with a late goal in injury time, making him the first substitute to score three goals in a single tournament.
The match was preceded by significant controversy regarding the eligibility of US star striker Folarin Balogun. Balogun had received a red card in the previous round, which typically results in a one-match ban. However, FIFA controversially suspended his ban for 12 months, reportedly following an intervention from US President Donald Trump. This decision drew widespread criticism and an unsuccessful appeal from the Royal Belgian Football Association, who questioned FIFA's disciplinary process and transparency.
Despite the controversy and his reinstatement, Balogun, who had scored three goals earlier in the tournament, was largely ineffective against Belgium's dominant performance. The US managed to equalize once in the first half through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick but was quickly outmatched. Matt Freese, the US goalkeeper, made an error leading to Belgium's third goal. This marks the fourth time in the past five World Cups that the US has been eliminated at the Last 16 stage.
Belgium's victory advances them to the quarter-finals, where they will face Spain in Los Angeles. Belgium has now reached at least the quarter-final stage in three of their last four World Cups. The US was the last of the three co-host nations to be eliminated from the competition.
