Belgium qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, after decisively beating one of the hosts - the USA, with a final score of 4:1. The match, played at the packed stadium “Lumen Field“ in Seattle in front of 66,925 spectators, was marked not only by football supremacy, but also by an unprecedented international scandal, in which US President Donald Trump personally intervened.
Belgium's football lecture and the nightmare of hosts
The match started with a quick shock for the hosts. In the 9th minute, Charles De Quetelare opened the scoring for Belgium, intercepting the ball in the net after a hesitant performance in the American defense. However, the USA team led by Mauricio Pochettino reacted quickly. In the 31st minute, Malik Tillman equalized after a precise execution of a free kick that ricocheted off the head of Hans Vanaken.
The joy of the American audience lasted only 116 seconds. In the 33rd minute, Leandro Trossar broke through from the left and crossed to De Quetelare, who jumped over Tim Reem and scored his second goal of the match, restoring Belgium's lead to 2:1.
In the second half, the intrigue was finally killed after a glaring error by American goalkeeper Matt Freese. In the 57th minute, he went unread outside the penalty area, was slow with the ball under pressure from the Belgian attackers and lost it, which allowed Hans Vanaken to shoot unhindered from about 30 meters into the empty net for 3:1.
By the end of the match, the Belgians were in total control of the events. The Belgian coach brought in fresh superstars Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku, and Belgium scored the final 4:1, which sealed their ticket to a clash with Spain in the quarterfinals. To cap off the bad news for the USA, their captain Christian Pulisic left the field with an injury in the 59th minute.
The “Balogun“ Scandal: Trump, Infantino and the wrath of UEFA
However, the real storm surrounding this match broke out off the field. The main topic in the world media was the US striker Folarin Balogun. He received red card in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which by law should have automatically removed him from the match with Belgium.
In an unprecedented move, however, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee overturned his ban just hours before the match, replacing it with a suspended sanction. A journalistic investigation revealed that the White House had organized a massive 4-day lobbying campaign. President Donald Trump held personal talks with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, demanding a review of the case, and after the decision he publicly thanked the headquarters.
This caused a wave of fury in Europe. The Belgian Football Association and European headquarters UEFA reacted sharply. UEFA issued an official position in which they called FIFA's decision “incomprehensible, unjustified and crossing a red line“, stating that it undermines the integrity of football. Belgian media were even more direct, with publications such as “Het Nieuwsblad ran headlines about “100% corruption“, accusing Infantino of building a political empire instead of administering sports.
In the end, despite political pressure to have Balogun on the field, Belgium gave a decisive sporting response and kicked the hosts out of the World Cup.