SEATTLE - The U.S. Men’s National Team’s time at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has come to an end, as the Stars and Stripes fell to Belgium 4-1 in the Round of 16 on Monday evening in Seattle, Wash. In its highest scoring World Cup campaign in program history, the USMNT topped its Group with victories over Paraguay and Australia before defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32—its second knockout stage victory in program history.
FT - United States 1, Belgium 4
It’s over in Seattle, as the USMNT’s time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 comes to an end.
90+3’ - Belgium get one more
Lukaku scores, and it’s United States 1, Belgium 4 with just a minute or so remaining.
90+2’ - Two changes for the Stars and Stripes
Max Arfsten makes his World Cup debut in place of Antonee Robinson, while Haji Wright replaces Folarin Balogun.
87’ - Pushing for more
The USMNT has controlled nearly 70% of the possession in the second half, firing off four shots to Belgium’s two. They’ve entered the final third ion 34 occasions this half alone, but still need a pair of goals in the final minutes.
79’ - Big chance for Berhalter
He rips one from the top of the box, sending it just wide. He waves his arms to pump up the crowd here in Seattle.
72’ - Pepi Time
The goalscorer replaces Tyler Adams with less than 20 minutes remaining in regular time.
67’ - Belgium bolsters its attack
Belgium’s Rudi Garcia brings on a pair of goalscorers, as Jérémy Doku enters for Dodi Lukébakio and Charles De Ketelaere exits for Romelu Lukaku.
59’ - Pulisic off, Berhalter on
Pochettino’s second change of the day is to replace Chrisitan Pulisic with Sebastian Berhlater.
57’ - Belgium finds another
Belgium capitalizes on a Matt Freese mistake to find its third on the evening. It’s United States 1, Belgium 3.
55’ - Searching for the equalizer
The USMNT has largely controlled the tempo in the first 10 minutes of the second half, leading Belgium in possession (63%-37%), final third entries (9-3) and accurate passes (44-19).
46’ - Second half is underway!
Mauricio Pochettino makes one change coming out of the break: Gio Reyna is on for Sergiño Dest.
HT - Belgium in front at the break
The USMNT has recorded just one shot on target—that incredible Malik Tillman free kick score—but the possession is just about even at 50%-50%, and both teams are just about equal in the passing game. The big difference has been Belgium’s attacking prowess—they’ve sent five on target and have 11 in total.
31’ - Belgium Strikes Back
Minutes after Tillman’s equalizer, the Red Devils answer on the other end. Charles De Ketelaere gets the better of Tim Ream, heading in his second on the day. It’s United States 1, Belgium 2.
31’ - TILLMAN TIME! AGAIN!
Balogun is hauled down just about 10 yards beyond the top of Belgium’s box, resulting in a U.S. free kick. From there, Malik Tillman makes more magic. His free kick takes a deflection off a Belgian defender’s head and slips past Thibaut Courtois in goal. It’s United States 1, Belgium 1!
Per Opta, Malik Tillman is the second player on record (since 1966) to score two direct free kicks in a single World Cup after France's Bernard Genghini in 1982.
9’ - Belgium find the opener
A deflected cross in front of goal falls to the feet of Charles De Ketelaere, and the forward taps it home. It’s United States 0, Belgium 1.
1’ - UNREAL DIVING STOP FROM MATTY ICE!
Matt Freese makes an incredible diving denial on an early shot from Belgium’s Timothy Castagne. The ensuing corner and Belgian shot is scooped up by Freese.
1’ - GO TIME!
The ball is rolling here in Seattle as the USMNT looks to extend its record at Seattle Stadium to a perfect 8-0-0 and advance to the Quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup for the second time in program history with a victory today.
Pre-Game - Players taking the pitch
The USMNT and Belgium players are filing out of the tunnel here at Seattle Stadium as the flags are unfurled on the pitch. Anthems are next, then it’s time for kickoff in a highly consequential match in the Pacific Northwest!
Pre-Game - The USMNT’s Starting XI
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino rolls out a full-strength squad—the same starting lineup used in the opening FIFA World Cup 2026 victory against Paraguay and the Round of 32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only Cristian Roldan is unavailable for selection this afternoon.
Tonight’s USMNT Starting XI vs. Belgium: 24-Matt Freese, 2-Sergiño Dest, 3-Chris Richards 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Antonee Robinson, 8-Weston McKennie, 10-Christian Pulisic, 13-Tim Ream (Capt.), 16-Alex Freeman, 17-Malik Tillman, 20-Folarin Balogun
Substitutes: 1-Matt Turner, 25-Chris Brady, 6-Auston Trusty, 7-Gio Reyna, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 14-Sebastian Berhalter, 18-Max Arfsten, 19-Haji Wright, 21-Tim Weah, 22-Mark McKenzie, 23-Joe Scally, 26-Alex Zendejas
Not Dressed: Cristian Roldan
Of note, Weston McKennie is the only U.S. player to start all five matches at this year's World Cup. He has nine World Cup starts, tied with Eddie Pope for fifth-most by a USMNT player (Landon Donovan 12, Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna 10 each).
Pre-Game - Belgium’s Lineup
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia has made four changes to the starting XI that faced Senegal – Amadou Onana, Nathan Ngoy, Dodi Lukébakio and Nicolas Raskin come in today for Jérémy Doku, Arthur Theate, Hans Vanaken and Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian starters: Thibaut Courtois, Maxim De Cuyper, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Timothy Castagne, Amadou Onana, Nicolas Raskin, Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans, Dodi Lukébakio, Charles De Ketelaere
Of note, Kevin De Bruyne begins the match on the bench. He had started his last 37 appearances for Belgium, last coming on as a substitute against Italy in a 2021 UEFA Nations League match.
Additionally, Dodi Lukébakio makes his first start of this year's FIFA World Cup. He scored twice for Belgium against the U.S. in a friendly in March while Charles De Ketelaere and Amadou Onana, also starting tonight, scored in that match as well.
Pre-Game - What’s at Stake
The USMNT is eyeing a return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since the 2002 World Cup in Korea Japan. A win today would represent the third knockout stage victory for the USMNT in program history, simultaneously marking the first World Cup in which the Stars and Stripes have recorded multiple knockout stage victories.
The winner of this match will face Spain in the Quarterfinals on Friday, July 10 at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Pre-Game - Attacking Intensity
The USMNT’s 10 goals scored at this World Cup is already the most in a single edition of the tournament in program history. The Stars and Stripes have scored two or more goals in all four of their FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, the first non-European or South American nation to score multiple goals in four consecutive games at the World Cup. The only previous host nation to score at least twice in each of their first five matches of a World Cup were Brazil in 1950.
Pre-Game - Friendly Cascadia Confines
The USMNT returns to Seattle Stadium for the first time since its 2-0 victory against Australia in the group stage on June 19. The USMNT is an unblemished 7W-0L-0D at Seattle Stadium and a near-perfect 10-1-1 all-time in Seattle.
Belgium enters the match equally familiar with the venue and city, however. The Red Devils have remained at their base camp at the Seattle Sounders FC Performance Centre and Clubhouse just down the road in Renton, Wash. Belgium has already played two matches at Seattle Stadium during this year’s tournament: a 1-1 draw against Egypt in the group stage and a 3-2 win against Senegal last time out in the Round of 32.
Pre-Game - USMNT vs. Belgium History
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.
Pre-Game - 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.
Pre-Game - Belgium in the World Cup
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.
Pre-Game - The Red Devils
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.
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.
Pre-Game - How to Watch
Fans can watch Monday’s match against Belgium on FOX in English and Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish on July 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
The match will be broadcast live on FOX with English commentary. Spanish commentary can be found on Telemundo and Peacock starting at 8 p.m. ET. Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Fans can stream USMNT vs. Belgium on the FOX One app with English commentary and Telemundo and Peacock with Spanish commentary starting at 8 p.m. ET. Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Spanish-language commentary can be found on Fútbol de Primera. Coverage of the United States vs. Belgium will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.
