The United States were eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Round of 16 on Monday evening, falling 4-1 to Belgium at Seattle Stadium.Â
The USMNT faced an uphill battle after Charles De Ketelaere netted a ninth-minute opener.
Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick equalizer – his second set-piece goal in as many World Cup matches – shortly after the half-hour mark briefly flipped the game on its head, only for Belgium to retake their lead via De Ketelaere's brace.Â
The USMNT's hopes of a comeback were dented in the second half, with Hans Vanaken extending Belgium's lead in the 57th minute before Romelu Lukaku rounded out the result in stoppage time.
In the quarterfinals, the Red Devils will face Spain on July 10 at Los Angeles Stadium.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: History was there for the taking, but the USMNT's 2026 World Cup dream fell short. Home-field advantage, incredible vibes and arguably the deepest-ever squad weren't enough to book a quarterfinal spot. With Monday's result, all three World Cup co-hosts (USA, Canada and Mexico) got eliminated in the Round of 16.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: De Ketelaere's second goal came exactly 61 seconds after Tillman's equalizer to take the air out of the USMNT and Seattle Stadium.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: De Ketelaere put in a 2g/1a performance worthy of a World Cup quarterfinal berth.
Next Up
- USA: End of tournament
- BEL: Friday, July 10 vs. Spain - 3 pm ET | World Cup quarterfinals
