Belgium's national football team secured a dominant 4-1 victory over hosts the United States in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 on July 6, then taunted the Americans with a pair of social media posts referencing a recent disciplinary controversy.
Social Media Taunts After Victory
The Belgian Red Devils shared an Instagram Story with the caption, "Overturn this," mocking the USA after the hosts had previously succeeded in having forward Folarin Balogun's one-match ban overturned by FIFA. The post quickly went viral among football fans.
On X, the team posted a playful jab at the long-standing 'football' versus 'soccer' terminology debate in the United States. "It's called s̶o̶c̶c̶e̶r̶ FOOTBALL," the Belgian Red Devils wrote, accompanied by a video of their goals.
Background Controversy
FIFA had earlier dismissed Belgium's challenge over the eligibility of Folarin Balogun after world football's governing body suspended the United States forward's one-match ban ahead of the Round of 16 clash. Balogun was shown a red card in the 64th minute of the United States' 2-0 Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Match Details
Belgium stormed into the quarter-finals with a commanding 4-1 victory at Seattle Stadium. Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brace to earn the Player of the Match award, while Hans Vanaken scored his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal. Substitute Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time strike, marking his third consecutive World Cup match with a goal.
Belgium dominated much of the contest despite the USA briefly equalising through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick. A costly goalkeeping error by Matt Freese allowed Belgium to extend their lead before Lukaku sealed the emphatic win late on.
Impact and Next Match
The defeat ended the United States' campaign, making them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico. Belgium will next face Spain in the quarter-finals on July 10 after the Spanish side knocked out Portugal in the Round of 16.
