Charles De Ketelaere struck twice in the first half as Belgium swept past the United States 4-1 in Seattle to reach the World Cup quarterfinals and end the co-hosts’ tournament.
The defeat means the USA became the final co-host nation to exit the 2026 World Cup, following Canada and Mexico who were both eliminated in the Round of 16.
Belgium set the tone early when De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the ninth minute, meeting a pass from Nicolas Raskin to give the Belgians a deserved lead against a sluggish home side.
Malik Tillman offered brief hope when his deflected free-kick wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois in the 31st minute to level the scores at 1-1, momentarily silencing the Belgian momentum.
But the reprieve lasted just 116 seconds. De Ketelaere rose to head home from Leandro Trossard’s delivery, restoring Belgium’s advantage and deflating the home crowd inside Lumen Field.
The game was effectively ended as a contest in the 57th minute when goalkeeper Matt Freese raced out of his area and missed the ball entirely.
De Ketelaere pounced on the loose ball and squared for Hans Vanaken to roll into an empty net.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, muscling Chris Richards off the ball before firing past Freese to complete a comprehensive 4-1 victory.
The pre-match narrative had been dominated by the controversial reinstatement of USA striker Folarin Balogun, whose one-match suspension was overturned by FIFA following a reported personal appeal by US President Donald Trump.
Balogun started but was unable to make an impact.
USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino was candid in defeat. “From the beginning, we didn’t connect with the game, ” he said. “Even when we scored the goal, we conceded the next action. Congratulations Belgium, they were better than us.
We didn’t show what this team can show.”
Belgium were clinical and composed throughout, exposing the hosts’ defensive frailties with ruthless efficiency whenever opportunities arose.
Belgium will now face Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday, July 10, at the Los Angeles Stadium, carrying serious momentum after a performance that announced them as genuine contenders.
