Belgium Advances to Quarter-Finals with Dominant Win Over USA

In a thrilling match at Seattle Stadium, Belgium triumphed over USA with a 4-1 scoreline, securing their place in the quarter-finals. Charles De Ketelaere shone with two goals, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku contributed to the victory. The USA, now out of the tournament, struggled against Belgium's relentless attack. This match marks Belgium's continued unbeaten streak, showcasing their dominance in the tournament. Next, they will face Spain, who recently eliminated Portugal. Read on for a detailed breakdown of the match highlights and key moments.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 7, 2026, 11:43 IST

Belgium's Impressive Victory

Photo: @LTSmash420/X

Seattle, July 7: Charles De Ketelaere scored two goals in the first half, while Hans Vanaken netted his inaugural World Cup goal, and substitute Romelu Lukaku added another late in the game, leading Belgium to a 4-1 triumph over co-hosts USA at Seattle Stadium.

The USA became the last of the co-hosts to exit the tournament, following the earlier exits of Canada and Mexico in the Round of 16.

Belgium has maintained an unbeaten streak since March 20, 2025, when they suffered a 3-1 loss to Ukraine during the UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs, which was also the first match under head coach Rudi Garcia. Since that defeat, Belgium has achieved an impressive record of 12 wins and six draws across all competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and UEFA World Cup qualifiers, boasting a remarkable +40 goal differential in these 17 matches.

The US Men's National Team (USMNT) had previously faced Belgium seven times, with their only victory occurring during the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay, where they won 3-0. The recent loss marks the seventh consecutive defeat for the USA against Belgium.

Warning signs emerged early for Mauricio Pochettino's squad when Timothy Castagne's strike from 18 yards forced a spectacular save from Matt Freese during Belgium's first significant attack.

Youri Tielemans nearly converted Dodi Lukebakio's cross before Belgium took the lead. Leandro Trossard's precise delivery into the box created chaos for the USA defense, allowing Nicolas Raskin to set up De Ketelaere for an easy tap-in.

Although Belgium seemed to be in control, the USA equalized in the 31st minute when Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick caught Thibaut Courtois off guard. However, the scores were level for only 116 seconds as Trossard's cross found De Ketelaere, who headed in his second goal of the match.

Belgium's advantage was extended just before the hour mark due to a defensive blunder. Freese rushed out to clear but missed the ball, allowing De Ketelaere to seize the opportunity, leading to Vanaken's long-range shot that found the net after evading Tim Ream's block.

In the closing moments, the Stars and Stripes showed some fight as substitute Sebastian Berhalter shot wide, and Courtois denied Folarin Balogun twice. However, Lukaku capitalized on a defensive error, sealing the victory with a well-placed shot in stoppage time.

Belgium is set to face Spain, who eliminated Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, in their next match at Los Angeles Stadium on July 11.