Belgium thrash US 4-0 to reach quarter-finals after FIFA's Balogun ban reversal sparks outrage

By: Tim Spiers

Belgium are not really used to being at the centre of global political scandals.

But when FIFA – shortly after a friendly conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump – suspended USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s ban for their round-of-16 match, Belgium were absolutely livid.

They had President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio referencing them by name and, for a while, it must have felt to the country of around 11 million people like the whole world was taking them on.

Instead, the whole world was pretty much with them. FIFA’s decision provoked mass sympathy for their plight and stoked anti-American sentiment for the feeling they and/or FIFA were bending the rules to the host nation’s advantage.

In the Belgian camp there was anger, yes, but they spotted an opportunity to pull off a daring, party-pooping victory, seemingly against the odds.

Within the group, while furious about the Balogun decision, they were not short of belief off the back of their stunning comeback victory over Senegal (they were 2-0 down in the 86th minute and won 3-2 at the end of extra time). Plus, they had beaten the United States in a friendly back in March with Balogun in the team.

While they strongly opposed FIFA’s decision and launched an appeal citing the process behind it, the message in the camp was to not rise to the bait, to take the moral high ground and let their football do the talking.

It was only when Romelu Lukaku scored their fourth goal in Seattle that their true feelings on the matter were revealed, with the striker’s ‘we can’t hear you’ cupped-ear celebration followed by the team doing the Trump dance, on the pitch and then later again in the dressing room.

Then came the tweet.

Overturn this. 🧏‍♂️ #USABEL — Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 7, 2026

And then came the mixed zone chat. Midfielder Nicolas Raskin called the Balogun decision an injustice, Dodi Lukebakio said he didn’t understand it, Thibaut Courtois said Belgium had been disrespected, and Youri Tielemans revealed the players had held a team meeting about the scandal.

After the victory, they were still aghast at the Balogun decision, albeit now with a smile on their faces.

They were aware of and appreciated the support received from across the world, with staff saying their phones had lit up at full time with countless congratulatory messages.

While publicly, Belgium have moved on from the saga – and indeed, given the extra motivation it clearly gave their players, plus how it appeared to distract the U.S. squad, it probably ultimately benefited them – in private, there remains a sense of exasperation at what they perceive as FIFA siding with the host nation and their president.

Belgium’s history with FIFA goes back more than a century. They were one of the founding member nations of the organisation back in 1904, along with Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and, as Courtois said, they felt they were due more respect. It is a country renowned for having a relaxed attitude; it takes a lot to get them riled, but this crossed a line.

They feel proud of themselves for standing up to FIFA and feel they have been trailblazers in taking on the world governing body (Croatia have lodged an appeal over the VAR protocols used in their defeat to Portugal, while Belgium complained about their Los Angeles training pitch).

There was no blame attached to Balogun, who approached Rudi Garcia for a post-match chat in which the Belgium manager told the striker...