USMNT vs. Belgium: Opponent Profile, Recent Form & History | OneFootball

The U.S. Men’s National Team is through to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the fourth time in as many tries after a 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. The result means the Stars and Stripes will face Belgium on Monday, July 6 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET in Seattle, Wash. as they look to remain unbeaten at the cavernous venue.

Here’s everything you need to know about Belgium ahead of Monday’s knockout round clash against the Red Devils in the Pacific Northwest.

WHEN IS THE USMNT VS. BELGIUM MATCH?

The United States will continue its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in the Round of 16 against UEFA side Belgium on Monday, July 6 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, Wash. The match will be carried live on FOX and Telemundo.

WHAT IS THE ALL-TIME HISTORY BETWEEN THE USMNT AND BELGIUM?

The USMNT has faced the Red Devils on seven prior instances. The first meeting—the United States’ lone victory—came in the form of a 3-0 victory at the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay. That contest nearly 100 years ago marked the USMNT’s first-ever match at a World Cup and still stands as the joint-largest margin of victory for the Stars and Stripes at the World Cup, recently matched by the USMNT’s three-goal victory against Paraguay to open this year’s tournament.

Since then, the United States has lost six consecutive matches against Belgium, with the two most recent encounters coming in the Round of 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and a pre-World Cup tune-up in Atlanta earlier this year. Notably, the last competitive match against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup saw USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard make a single-match World Cup record 16 saves.

WHAT IS BELGIUM’S WORLD RANKING?

Belgium is currently ranked ninth in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings. The Red Devils—who have not dipped below 10th in the rankings since 2014—are currently the sixth-highest ranked European team, trailing only France (1), Spain (3), England (4), Portugal (7) and the Netherlands (8) in the live rankings.

WHAT IS BELGIUM’S WORLD CUP HISTORY?

Belgium has participated in 15 of the 23 World Cups. The Red Devils fell to the USMNT in the joint inaugural World Cup match in Uruguay in 1930, and in total, have amassed a 23W-20L-12D record at the tournament. Belgium has qualified for the past four World Cups, its longest stretch since qualifying for five between 1982 and 2002.

The European side has advanced to the knockout stage on seven occasions with its best finish coming in 2018, in which it defeated England 2-0 in the third-place match after narrowly falling 1-0 against eventual champions France in the Semifinals.

WHAT IS BELGIUM’S RECENT FORM?

Belgium has not lost a match since March 20, 2025, a 3-1 defeat against Ukraine in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs and head coach Rudi Garcia’s first match in charge. Since then, Belgium has accrued an eye-popping 11W-0L-6D record across all competitions (FIFA World Cup, UEFA World Cup qualification, UEFA Nations League play-offs, friendlies), buoyed by a +40 goal differential in those 17 matches.

The Red Devils topped Group J in UEFA World Cup qualifiers with a 5W-0L-3D record which featured victories against Wales (2), Liechtenstein (2) and Kazakhstan. In the build-up to its 15th World Cup, Belgium faced a quartet of World Cup-qualified opponents: defeating the USMNT 5-2 in Atlanta, settling for a 1-1 draw against Mexico at Chicago’s Soldier Field, beating Croatia 2-0 in Rijeka, Croatia, and downing Tunisia 5-0 in Brussels, Belgium.

At the FIFA World Cup 2026, Belgium won Group G thanks to a big 5-1 win against New Zealand in the group stage finale after posting back-to-back draws against Egypt and IR Iran to start the tournament. In its first knockout stage match, the Red Devils erased a 2-0 deficit against Senegal in the final minutes of regular time to win 3-2 in extra time at Seattle Stadium.

WHO IS BELGIUM’S HEAD COACH?

The Red Devils are helmed by 62-year-old French manager Rudi Garcia. Appointed to lead Belgium on Jan. 24, 2025, Garcia has amassed a 11W-1L-6D record leading the European side. Garcia and the USMNT’s Pochettino have faced off twice. The pair first met in March 2021, in a French Ligue 1 contest where Pochettino’s PSG defeated Garcia’s Lyon 4-2 at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. More recently, the pair met in the pre-World Cup clash in Atlanta in which Garcia’s Red Devils defeated the USMNT.

As a player, Garcia spent the entirety of his 13-year career as a midfielder in his native France. He played for Lille OSC (1983-88), Stade Malherbe Caen (1988-91), FC Martigues (1991-92) and AS Corbeil-Essonnes(1994-96); with the latter, he developed in the youth ranks when his father coached the side. Notably, Garcia’s first professional goal was the winning goal for Lille against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in 1984.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Garcia became the head coach of AS Corbeil-Essonnes in 1994. He acted as a player-coach for the lower-division side between 1994-96 before becoming the full-time coach in 1997. After that, he spent the majority of his coaching career in France, leading AS Saint-Étienne (2001), Dijon FCO (2002-07), Le Mans FC (2007-08), Lille (2008-13), Olympique de Marseille (2016-19) and Olympique Lyonnais (2019-21). Outside of France, Garcia led Italian Serie A sides AS Roma (2013-16) and SSC Napoli (2023), as well as Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr FC (2022-23). The 2010-11 season was Garcia’s most successful; the former Lille player led the side to a Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and was named the Ligue 1 and France Football Manager of the Year.

WHO ARE KEY BELGIAN PLAYERS TO WATCH?

At this year’s tournament, two veteran Red Devils lead the side in goal contributions with two goals and one assist apiece: Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and Napoli’s Romelu Lukaku. In addition to Trossard and Lukaku, a handful of members of Belgium’s waning golden generation are still contributing: Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and unattached veterans Axel Witsel and Thomas Meunier.

Other key Belgian contributors in recent matches include Aston Villa midfielder and Belgium captain Youri Tielemans, Club Brugge defender Brandon Mechele, Fulham defender—longtime teammate of USMNT defender Antonee Robinson—Timothy Castagne, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Maxim De Cuyper, and AC Milan midfielder—teammate of the USMNT’s Christian Pulisic—Alexis Saelemaekers.

Additionally, Belgium boasts a dynamic duo of 24-year-old English Premier League talents in attacking midfielder Jérémy Doku of Manchester City and defensive midfielder Amadou Onana of Aston Villa. With three appearances each at this year’s tournament, both midfielders are still in search of their first goal contribution.