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Belgium Crush USA 4-1 to Reach World Cup Quarter-finals

By Editorial Team July 7, 2026

Belgium produced a commanding display to defeat USA 4-1 at Seattle Stadium and secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.

Charles De Ketelaere starred with a brilliant brace, while Hans Vanaken netted his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal before substitute Romelu Lukaku sealed the emphatic victory in stoppage time. Belgium will now face Spain in a blockbuster quarter-final on July 10 after the Spaniards eliminated Portugal.

Belgium dominated the opening exchanges and deservedly took the lead when De Ketelaere finished from close range after excellent work by Leandro Trossard and Nicolas Raskin. USA briefly responded through Malik Tillman's deflected free-kick, but Belgium restored their advantage just 116 seconds later as De Ketelaere headed home his second goal of the match.

A costly defensive mistake by USA goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Vanaken to extend Belgium's lead before Lukaku added the fourth goal late on after Courtois denied Folarin Balogun at the other end.

The defeat also confirmed USA as the final co-host nation to exit the tournament following the Round of 16 eliminations of Canada and Mexico.

You voted Charles De Ketelaere @MichelobUltra Superior Player of the Match! 👏

#FIFAWorldCup #SuperiorPOTM pic.twitter.com/UppGT9Eh9i
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 7, 2026

Player of the Match: Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium)

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia praised his players and supporters after the victory, saying:
"To everyone who got up in the middle of the night to support us, I'd like to say a huge thank you. They should be happy and proud of their players today. We showed that Belgium is a great football nation."

USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted Belgium deserved the win, saying:

"It was really tough from the beginning. We congratulate Belgium, they were better than us. It wasn't our day. We need to learn, we need to assess the game and understand why we did not approach the game in the same way we did in the rest of the World Cup."