USMNT exit World Cup vs. Belgium in Round of 16

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Major League Soccer

·7 July 2026

USMNT exit World Cup vs. Belgium in Round of 16

By Jaime Uribarri

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.

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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.

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

9' - BEL - Charles De Ketelaere | WATCH
31' - USA - Malik Tillman | WATCH
33' - BEL - Charles De Ketelaere | WATCH
57' - BEL - Hans Vanaken | WATCH
90+3' - BEL - Romelu Lukaku | WATCH

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.