Following Canada and Mexico, the third (and effectively first) host nation has exited the 2026 World Cup. Belgium, powered by a brace and a goal assist from Charles De Ketelaere, as well as a late goal from Lukaku, defeated the USA 4-1 and will face Spain in the quarterfinals. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Match Overview

Round of 16, July 7, Seattle, Lumen Field

⚽ USA – BELGIUM 1:3 (1:2). Goals: De Ketelaere 9 (0:1), Tillman 31 (1:1), De Ketelaere 33 (1:2), Vanaken 57 (1:3), Lukaku 90+3 (1:4)

In the first match of the day, in Dallas (Spain – Portugal 1:0), the goal took 91 minutes to arrive. In Seattle, the score was opened ten times faster. Already in the 9th minute, Belgium created a goal from nothing during the initial probing.

Leandro Trossard crossed from the left flank, Timothy Castagne of Fulham sent the rebound to Charles De Ketelaere. The Atalanta midfielder only had to tap it in – 1-0.

In the 33rd minute, the Red Devils, playing in white and blue, repeated the trick. The only difference was that Trossard himself provided the assist, and De Ketelaere headed in his second goal.

Between the Bergamo man's goals, the hosts equalized from a free kick that should never have been awarded. Jordanian referee Adam Mahadmeh called it for a foul against the Monaco forward, who instantly became famous. Folarin Balogun (stress on the first syllable), inexplicably called Balogun in the media, should have been watching the game on TV according to regulations. However, his suspension for a red card received in the game against Bosnia was put on hold by FIFA for known reasons.

Returning to the free kick, American Bayer Leverkusen player Mark Tillman scored it with a deflection off Hans Vanaken, who had jumped out of the wall. The Club Brugge midfielder had replaced the injured Amadou Onana of Aston Villa 10 minutes earlier. He would have long remembered the disservice to Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois if De Ketelaere had not put Belgium ahead again just two minutes later.

Second Half

The story continued after the break. The same De Ketelaere robbed goalkeeper Matt Freese, who had mishandled the ball, and provided a pass for Vanaken to redeem himself. He did not miss the empty net – 3-1.

Mauricio Pochettino's charges, unable to withstand the immense pressure of the home tournament, seemed to have simply burned out. Throughout the match, the Americans only seriously tested Belgium's defense a handful of times. Rudi Garcia's men, with their midfield play masterfully coordinated by Onana's clubmate Youri Tielemans, confidently saw out the victory.

They did not even need Kevin De Bruyne, who sat on the bench for the entire match. His Napoli teammate Romelu Lukaku came on in the second half, adding power to the Red Devils' attacks. The 33-year-old's goal in stoppage time sealed the match result – 4-1.

Other Results

⚽ SOUTH AFRICA – CANADA 0:1, BRAZIL – JAPAN 2:1, GERMANY – PARAGUAY a.e.t. 1:1, pen. 3:4, NETHERLANDS – MOROCCO a.e.t. 1:1, pen. 2:3, IVORY COAST – NORWAY 1:2, FRANCE – SWEDEN 3:0, MEXICO – ECUADOR 2:0, ENGLAND – DR CONGO 2:1, BELGIUM – SENEGAL 3:2, USA – BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 2:0, SPAIN – AUSTRIA 3:0, PORTUGAL – CROATIA 2:1, SWITZERLAND – ALGERIA 2:0, AUSTRALIA – EGYPT a.e.t. 1:1, pen. 2:4, ARGENTINA – CAPE VERDE a.e.t. 3:2, COLOMBIA – GHANA 1:0

⚽ BRAZIL – NORWAY 1:2, MEXICO – ENGLAND 2:3

⚽ PORTUGAL – SPAIN 0:1, USA – BELGIUM 1:4, ARGENTINA – EGYPT

⚽ NORWAY – ENGLAND, ARGENTINA/EGYPT – SWITZERLAND/COLOMBIA

About the Tournament

The 23rd edition of the World Cup finals started on June 11. The global football forum is being held in three countries for the first time – the USA, Canada, and Mexico – and for the first time features 48 teams.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advanced. After two rounds of the knockout stage, eight teams remain in contention for the main trophy.

The 2026 World Cup will conclude on the night of July 19-20 with the final match in New York.