USA vs. Belgium final score, result as De Ketelaere brace sinks USMNT’s World Cup hopes

By | July 6, 2026
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Belgium ended the United States’ World Cup hopes, blitzing Maurico Pochettino’s side en route to a 4-1 win.

Widely billed to be a tightly-contested affair — especially after Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension was suspended following intervention from Donald Trump — the USMNT hoped to put on a starring display in front of its Seattle faithful.

Charles De Ketelaere had other ideas, slotting twice beyond Matt Freese to power the Red Devils to the quarter-finals. Sandwiched between his strikes was a deflected tally from Malik Tillman, who became the first player to record two free-kick goals in a single World Cup since France’s Bernard Genghini accomplished the feat in 1982.

Pochettino’s side looked torpid for much of the first half. Little changed in the second, with Hans Vanaken taking advantage of Freese’s gaffe to become Belgium’s oldest-ever knockout stage scorer. Romelu Lukaku added a fourth 12 years after scoring the game-winner against the U.S. in the 2014 iteration of the tournament.

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights for USA vs. Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Below are the complete results from the Round of 16 match in Seattle.

STREAM: Watch the 2026 World Cup live with fubo (U.S. only free trial)

USA vs. Belgium score

Location: Seattle
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh

Starting lineups:

USA (4-2-3-1): 24. M. Freese (GK) — 16. A. Freeman, 3. C. Richards, 13. T. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 17. M. Tillman, 4. T. Adams — 2. S. Dest, 8. W. McKennie, 10. C. Pulisic — 20. F. Balogun

Belgium (4-3-3): 1. T. Courtois (GK) — 21. T. Castagne, 25. N. Ngoy. 4. B. Mechele, 5. M. De Cuyper —23. N. Raskin, 24. A. Onana, 8. Y. Tielemans — 14. D. Lukebakio, 17. C. De Ketelaere, 10. L. Trossard

2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Updated World Cup standings

USA vs. Belgium live updates, highlights from 2026 World Cup knockouts

(All times ET)

Final score: Belgium 4, United States 1

90+4′: Lukaku ends USMNT’s World Cup run with fourth

9:58 p.m.: GOALLLLLLLL! Lukaku finishes the U.S.’s World Cup once and for all, helping dispossess Chris Richards before slotting past Freese. This one was a riot.

Belgium 4, United States 1

80′: Berhalter, Balogun draw close as USMNT attempts final rally

9:45 p.m.: The USMNT are looking frantically for a goal to get back into this one. Both Berhalter and Balogun nearly were rewarded for their desperation, with the former seeing his fiery attempt just spurn its target and the latter having his effort in transition saved by Courtois.

59′: Pulisic gives way for Sebastian Berhalter after apparent injury

9:22 p.m.: Pulisic leaves for Berhalter, having been felled by an apparent injury moments before Vanaken’s strike. The USMNT will be without its talisman for the last 30 minutes (plus stoppage time).

58′: Freese error leads to Belgium’s third

9:21 p.m.: GOALLLLLL! Freese will not want to watch that back. While attempting to clear the ball, Freese kicked his foot into the ground, allowing De Ketelaere to pounce and deflect the ball away. The bouncing orb found Vanaken, who kept his strike from distance low to double the Red Devils’ advantage.

Belgium 3, United States 1

9:19 p.m.: Not much going on for either side to start the second. Looks like Belgium is content with letting the U.S. have possession. Neither team has fashioned out much of a chance thus far.

9:09 p.m.: The teams are back out on the pitch for the second half. Looks like Gio Reyna will come in for Dest at the half. We’ll see if he can make a positive intervention in this one.

45+6′: Pulisic’s corner falls into Courtois’ hands as first half comes to close

8:53 p.m.: Little to write home about regarding Christian Pulisic’s first half. Few things sum up his early display quite like his end of half corner kick, which finds Courtois without a contest. Belgiums enters the break on top and looking the likelier of the two sides to score. We’ll have to see what changes Pochettino has up his sleeves, because things could get hairy here for the USMNT if its unable to elevate its play.

32′: De Ketelaere’s second re-establishes lead for Red Devils

8:31 p.m: GOALLLLLL! Now, it’s De Ketelaere’s turn again! He leaps high over Tim Ream to smash in his second following good work from Trossard.

Belgium 2, United States 1

31′: USMNT gets on board behind Tillman’s deflected free kick

8:30 p.m.: GOALLLLL! It’s Malik Tillman again! The Bayer Leverkusen starlet whips a free kick past Courtois to level the socre at one goal apiece. The strike was deflected by Vanaken, leaving Courtois flat-footed. The USMNT has done little to nothing on its side of the pitch. And yet, both sides are square at one.

Belgium 1, United States 1

20′: Onana departs due to injury as Belgium suffers huge midfield blow

8:20 p.m.: Amadou Onana was arguably Belgium’s most important player in the midfield. He exits due to injury, leaving the Belgians with a void in the center of the park. His range, athleticism and progressiveness are major tools for Rudi Garcia’s side. He gives way for Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken.

10′: De Ketalaere taps in as Belgium takes advantage of USMNT torpidity

8:10 p.m.: GOALLLLLLL! It’s De Ketalaere who fires home from short range, connecting with De Cuyper’s deflected cross. It’s been a decent start thus far for the Belgians, who have looked the strong side in the midfield thus far.

Belgium 1, USA 0

1′: Freese denies Castagne with smart stop

8:02 p.m.: Castagne opens the match with a splendid strike, curling and unruly. Freese is equal to the test, flicking it away from danger with an acrobatic stop.

Pregame

8:00 p.m.: The national anthems have been uttered. The players on the field! Time for footy!

7:35 p.m.: More sights and scenes ahead of tonight’s contest. Plenty of support for the Americans in this one. You’d expect nothing less from the Seattle bunch.

7:25 p.m.: It’s quite the atmosphere here in Seattle for this one. Looks like there will be a lively pro-US contingent for this one.

7:15 p.m.: Nary a mention of Balogun’s red card controversy on Fox’s pregame broadcast. Wonder why…

6:45 p.m.: Lineups are out for tonight’s contest. The U.S. team is unchanged from the side that took the field against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Balogun retaining his place up top despite his red card. The Belgians, meanwhile, made a host of changes to the starting XI they flaunted against Senegal. Jeremy Doku and Jeremy Doku take to the bench while Charles de Ketelaere — a midfielder — will attempt to make an impact up front.

6:00 p.m.: Apt words here ahead of tonight’s contest, word to Sideshow.

5:30 p.m.: Plenty of banter coming from USMNT supporters in the hours leading up to the game. Not sure if the masses of soccer enthusiasts around the world would agree with the sentiment, however.

5 p.m.: Folarin Balogun is the man of the hour ahead of tonight’s contest, albeit for reasons out of his control. Belgium’s appeal — largely viewed as a ceremonial gesture — was rejected, meaning that the USMNT striker is available for selection in tonight’s game. Barring something unforeseen, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to name him in his starting XI.

Where to watch USA vs. Belgium in World Cup

USA vs. Belgium start time

  • Date: Monday, July 6
  • Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET

USA vs. Belgium kicks off at 8 p.m. ET from Lumen Field in Seattle.

What channel is USA vs. Belgium on today?

Monday’s match between the United States and Belgium will air nationally on Fox (for English-speaking viewers) and Telemundo (for Spanish-speaking viewers) in the United States. Those looking to stream the match can turn toward fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.

Here’s a look at how the 8 p.m. ET start time compares to differing time zones:

  Time TV Channel Streaming
USA 20:00 ET Fox, Telemundo fubo, Peacock
Canada 20:00 ET TSN 1, RDS (French) TSN site/app,
RDS app
UK 01:00 BST BBC One BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Australia 10:00 AEST SBS SBS On Demand
India 05:30 IST Sports 18 Voot, JioTV

MORE USMNT NEWS:

World Cup 2026 knockouts schedule

Round of 16

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sat, Jul. 4 1 p.m. Morocco 3, Canada 0 NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Sat, Jul. 4 5 p.m. France 1, Paraguay 0 Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Sun, Jul. 5 4 p.m. Norway 2, Brazil 1 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Sun, Jul. 5 8 p.m. England 3, Mexico 2 Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)
Mon, Jul. 6 3 p.m. Portugal vs. Spain AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Mon, Jul. 6 8 p.m. USA vs. Belgium Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Tue, Jul. 7 12 p.m. Argentina vs. Egypt Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Tue, Jul. 7 4 p.m. Switzerland vs. Colombia BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)

Quarterfinals

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Thu, Jul. 9 4 p.m. QF1: France vs. Morocco Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
Fri, Jul. 10 3 p.m. QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6 SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Sat, Jul. 11 5 p.m. QF3: Norway vs. England Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Sat, Jul. 11 9 p.m. QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8 Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)

Semifinals

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Tue, Jul. 14 3 p.m. SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2 AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Wed, Jul. 15 3 p.m. SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4 Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Third-place match

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sat, Jul. 18 5 p.m. Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2 Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sun, Jul. 19 3 p.m. Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)

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