Belgium changed the face of the qualifying phase and was enlisted as a possible candidate for the title. This Monday, July 6, they eliminated the United States with a resounding 4-1 victory at Lumen Field in Seattle, a result that sealed the goodbye of the last Concacaf representative and the last of the three host countries that remained alive in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Red Devils built their classification thanks to the double of Charles De Ketelaerein addition to the many Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku.
For the American team he discounted Malik Tillman.
De Ketelaere set the course of the game
Belgium took control from the start and opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a finish from Charles De Ketelaere, who took advantage of a defensive inattention to beat Matt Freese.
The United States reacted in the 31st minute thanks to Malik Tillman, who momentarily restored hope to the local fans with a 1-1 draw.
The equality barely lasted two minutes. At 33, De Ketelaere appeared again to score his double and return the lead to the Europeans before the break.
Matt Freese’s mistake sentenced the tie
The decisive moment came in the 56th minute.
Matt Freese came out of his area to anticipate a long ball, but hesitated between clearing and controlling the ball. The hesitation was taken advantage of by Hans Vanaken, who recovered the ball and scored with the goal completely unguarded to establish the 3-1 score.
The action immediately became one of the most talked about images of the tournament and ended up definitively tilting the match in favor of Belgium.
Already in added time, at 90+3, Romelu Lukaku closed the win with the final 4-1 after completing a quick collective play.
Belgium revives a historic duel with Spain
The classification now places Belgium against Spain in the quarterfinals, in a confrontation with an important World Cup precedent.
The last time both teams met in a direct elimination phase was in Mexico 1986when they tied 1-1 in the quarterfinals and the Red Devils advanced to the semifinals after winning 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
Forty years later, Spain will seek revenge against a Belgian team that is going through one of the best moments of the championship.
The World Cup is left without hosts or Concacaf teams
The elimination of the United States also marks the end of Concacaf’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.
After the previous eliminations of Mexico and Canada, the team led by Mauricio Pochettino was the last representative of the confederation and the only host still in competition.
With this result, the quarterfinals of the World Cup will be played without Concacaf teams and without any of the three organizing countries of the tournament, an unprecedented scenario in this edition of the World Cup.