The United States have reached a pivotal moment in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having advanced to the Round of 16 where they will face Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
It’s a make-or-break match for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT, who are hoping to elevate soccer in the USA to new heights by energizing the fanbase with a historic run through the World Cup knockout bracket. To do so, they need to go through a top-10 opponent, as Belgium have established themselves as one of Europe’s more respected and talented football nations.
Elimination in the Round of 16 would match their result from each of the last three World Cup tournaments they’ve participated in, which would feel like stagnation more than anything. Yet victory over Belgium would not only provide the U.S. with their biggest-ever result at a World Cup, but would see them into the quarterfinals for only the second time ever at a modern World Cup.
The Sporting News details the upcoming opponent for the USMNT at the World Cup, and what they need to do to achieve what would be an historic victory.
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How good is Belgium at soccer?
- FIFA world rank: 9th
- UEFA rank: 6th
- Qualified via: UEFA Group J winners (above Wales, N. Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein)
- Head coach: Rudi Garcia (FRA)
- Captain: Youri Tielemans (89 caps)
- Notable players: Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Jeremy Doku (Man City), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa)
Belgium have quietly been one of the longest-tenured international football teams in global soccer history. One of 13 participants at the very first World Cup in 1930, where they were eliminated in the group stage, Belgium have been competing globally since the dawn of the sport.
Yet for all their history, they have only reached the World Cup semifinals twice in history, and have never reached the final. They finished fourth in 1986 in Mexico, and then finished third in 2018 in Russia.
Since that place on the podium eight years ago, Belgium have been considered one of the top teams not only in Europe but in the world. Yet they have largely disappointed relative to the talent of their squad. That third-place fnish in Russia was meant to kickstart a rise to the global elite for Belgium as their “golden generation” arrived on the scene, but that group of players has almost entirely failed to deliver.
Now aging out without an equal level of talent coming through to replace them, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Axel Witsel, and Romelu Lukaku have not managed to achieve the level of results they had hoped. Still they remain a talented, if aging, squad that continues to sit amongst the top 10 FIFA rankings.
MORE: Revisiting the 2014 World Cup classic between the USA and Belgium
USMNT record vs. Belgium
- USA record vs. Belgium: 1 W, 0 D, 4 L
- First meeting: USA 3-0 Belgium (Jul. 13, 1930 | FIFA World Cup)
- Last meeting: USA 2-5 Belgium (Mar. 28, 2026 | International friendly)
The United States has only ever beaten Belgium once, coming all the way back in their first-ever meeting in the 1930 FIFA World Cup group stage.
Since then, the U.S. has lost all four meetings with Belgium, all coming since 2011. The most famous meeting between the two sides came at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the Round of 16, when Tim Howard set the record for most saves in a World Cup match with 16, but after Chris Wondolowski’s infamous late miss, Belgium would go on to win 2-1 in extra-time.
Most recently, Belgium defeated the U.S. in a friendly back in March of this year by a 5-2 score, as Dodi Lukebakio scored a brace.
How the United States can beat Belgium
The Belgium squad looks formidable on paper, but in reality, it has quite a few weaknesses.
Rudi Garcia’s side look to attack with a lockpick rather than a battering ram, trying to pass or dribble through the midfield and defensive line to create chances in front of goal. They play with a false nine at the top in Charles De Ketelaere, which has been largely ineffective all World Cup. Belgium have been far more dangerous with Romelu Lukaku at the front, but he has struggled to finish the large number of chances that have come his way.
Their best attacking option in this tournament has been Leandro Trossard, whose 16 chances created leads the field at the World Cup. While that’s nice, it’s also a problem. Trossard wasn’t supposed to be the main creative outlet for this team, so his standing at the top of the list means others have underperformed, such as dribbling wizard Jeremy Doku and passing legend Kevin De Bruyne, who have both been poor so far.
USMNT right-back Alex Freeman, who has been exceptional to this point in the World Cup, will have significant weight on his shoulders defending both Trossard and Doku on the Belgium left flank. If he can hold his own, it will allow Sergino Dest to press up and get into the attack, pinning Belgium back.
Midfield activity will be key too. Belgium were disrupted in the middle against Senegal by Idrissa Gueye and Lassana Diarra, and that kept a lid on their attack for most of the match. They particularly need to keep Youri Tielemans pinned back, as his late runs into the penalty area can be effective and devastating.
Finally, Ricardo Pepi is the likely starter in place of a suspended Folarin Balogun up front in the U.S. attack. Pepi does not generate the volume of attacking pressure that Balogun does with his brilliant off-ball movement, but he does finish at a high level, and most importantly, he can press effectively. If Pepi can cause chaos at the beginning of Belgium’s buildup, their struggling defenders could potentially cough the ball up in dangerous places.
If Mauricio Pochettino can engineer a strong counter-press performance, and Freeman can stand tall defensively, this USMNT side can generate an upset against a top 10-ranked team.
Belgium World Cup squad
MORE: A complete breakdown of Belgium’s 2026 World Cup squad
Head coach: Rudi Garcia
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (La Liga, Spain) | 34 | 107 |
| GK | 12 | Senne Lammens | Manchester United (Premier League, England) | 23 | 2 |
| GK | 13 | Mike Penders | Chelsea (Premier League, England) | 20 | 0 |
| DEF | 21 | Timothy Castagne | Fulham (Premier League, England) | 30 | 62 |
| DEF | 2 | Zeno Debast | Sporting CP (Primeira Liga, Portugal) | 22 | 26 |
| DEF | 5 | Maxim De Cuyper | Brighton (Premier League, England) | 25 | 17 |
| DEF | 16 | Koni De Winter | AC Milan (Serie A, Italy) | 23 | 7 |
| DEF | 4 | Brandon Mechele | Club Brugge (Pro League, Belgium) | 33 | 7 |
| DEF | 15 | Thomas Meunier | Lille (Ligue 1, France) | 34 | 78 |
| DEF | 25 | Nathan Ngoy | Lille (Ligue 1, France) | 22 | 2 |
| DEF | 18 | Joaquin Seys | Club Brugge (Pro League, Belgium) | 21 | 4 |
| DEF | 3 | Arthur Theate | Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga, Germany) | 25 | 32 |
| MID | 7 | Kevin De Bruyne | Napoli (Serie A, Italy) | 34 | 117 |
| MID | 24 | Amadou Onana | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 24 | 27 |
| MID | 23 | Nicolas Raskin | Rangers (Premiership, Scotland) | 25 | 11 |
| MID | 8 | Youri Tielemans | Aston Villa (Premier League, England) | 29 | 83 |
| MID | 20 | Hans Vanaken | Club Brugge (Pro League, Belgium) | 33 | 32 |
| MID | 6 | Axel Witsel | Girona (Segunda Division, Spain) | 37 | 136 |
| FWD | 17 | Charles De Ketelaere | Atalanta (Serie A, Italy) | 25 | 28 |
| FWD | 11 | Jeremy Doku | Manchester City (Premier League, England) | 23 | 41 |
| FWD | 26 | Matias Fernandez-Pardo | Lille (Ligue 1, France) | 21 | 0 |
| FWD | 9 | Romelu Lukaku | Napoli (Serie A, Italy) | 33 | 124 |
| FWD | 14 | Dodi Lukebakio | Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal) | 28 | 29 |
| FWD | 19 | Diego Moreira | Strasbourg (Ligue 1, France) | 21 | 2 |
| FWD | 22 | Alexis Saelemaekers | AC Milan (Serie A, Italy) | 26 | 23 |
| FWD | 10 | Leandro Trossard | Arsenal (Premier League, England) | 31 | 50 |