Belgium Publicly Mocks Balogun After 4-1 Rout of USA, Off-Field Controversy Reignites

In the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, the United States suffered a 1-4 defeat to Belgium on Monday evening, bowing out in the last 16. This marks the fourth time in the past five World Cups that the US men's national team has failed to get past this stage; the only exception was in 2018, when they failed to qualify for the tournament at all. Notably, Belgium also knocked the US out of the round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup.

The most high-profile pre-match incident was the suspension of the red card for US forward Folarin Balogun being postponed by the relevant body, allowing him to take the pitch on Monday. The decision sparked outrage from Belgium, who expressed "deep shock" in an official statement, with the head coach calling it an "April Fool's joke." Balogun started the match but neither scored nor assisted, yet his eligibility became a focal point for Belgium's post-match taunts.

Belgium posted a photo on social media of forward Romelu Lukaku celebrating a goal, accompanied by the caption: "Try to overturn this one too," a clear dig at Balogun's controversial appearance. In another post, they highlighted the final scoreline with the caption "This is called FOOTBALL" and crossed out the word "soccer" — the latter being the common term for the sport in the US and a few other countries.

In terms of match action, Belgium struck first in the 9th minute. US midfielder Malik Tillman equalized with a free kick in the 31st minute, but just two minutes later, Charles De Ketelaere scored again to restore Belgium's lead. In the second half, Hans Vanaken and Lukaku added goals to seal the victory.

The loss brought an end to what had been a promising World Cup campaign for the US — they had topped their group and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. However, the exit felt all too familiar, while Belgium had the last laugh.