Belgium didn’t just knock the United States out of their own World Cup — they made sure everyone knew exactly how they felt about the controversy that preceded it.
The Red Devils demolished co-hosts USA 4-1 in Seattle to reach the quarter-finals, where they’ll face Spain. But the story of the night wasn’t only the scoreline. It was everything that happened around it.
A Red Card, a Phone Call, and a Firestorm
The build-up to the last-16 clash had been dominated by one question: why was USA striker Folarin Balogun playing at all?
Balogun picked up a red card — and with it, an automatic one-match ban — in the Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Days later, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced it was suspending that ban for a “probationary period,” clearing him to face Belgium. The decision broke with how every previous red card at this tournament had been handled.
It soon emerged that President Trump had personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a “review” of the suspension. Trump confirmed it himself. Infantino said the call didn’t influence the outcome. The Royal Belgian Football Association wasn’t convinced, calling the decision “astonishing” and pursuing a formal appeal — which FIFA rejected hours before kickoff.
Belgium Responds on the Pitch
If the goal was to rattle Belgium, it backfired. The Red Devils were ruthless, cruising to a 4-1 win that eliminated the last of the three co-host nations from the tournament.
Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said the squad felt a “sense of injustice” heading into the match, and it clearly fueled them. Captain Youri Tielemans echoed the sentiment, saying the team simply resolved to answer everything off the pitch with performance on it.
They didn’t stop at the final whistle, either. After their fourth goal, several Belgium players broke into an impression of Trump’s signature dance moves. The team’s official account then posted a screenshot referencing Balogun’s overturned ban with a single line: “Overturn this.”
What’s Next
Belgium moves on to face Spain in the quarter-finals. For the United States, the tournament ends not with the deep co-host run many hoped for, but with a controversy that will likely follow the sport for a while yet and a reminder, courtesy of Belgium, that scoreboards settle most arguments better than phone calls do.
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