The USA’s World Cup story changed as dramatically over the last 48 hours as their Round-of-16 tie against Belgium slipped away at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The co-hosts had every reason to celebrate reaching the knockout stage, with Tim Ream’s side producing an impressive campaign to make the last 16. That mood only lifted further on Sunday when FIFA overturned Folarin Balogun’s suspension, making the striker available for the clash against Belgium in Seattle. The camp even stood firm amid the controversy that followed after reports emerged linking U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino to the decision.
The celebrations, however, proved short-lived.
Belgium cruised to a 4-1 victory, knocking the co-hosts out of the World Cup and triggering a wave of mockery from across the footballing world.
“Overturn this” instantly went viral after Belgium’s official social media account posted the message at the final whistle. Yet it was the players’ celebration that grabbed even more attention.
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Led by Romelu Lukaku, who scored Belgium’s fourth goal, the players broke into the viral “Trump dance”, a routine inspired by the U.S. President’s moves at political rallies, as YMCA played. While the dance has been widely mimicked, Belgium’s version was unmistakably aimed at the controversy surrounding Balogun’s reinstatement.
The jibes did not end there.
At full-time, a commentator on Turkish television joked: “USA is out of the World Cup… unless there’s a last-minute change.”
A Croatian broadcaster struck a similar tone, saying: “Belgium won, but let’s wait… maybe tomorrow morning when we wake up, a call from the White House comes in.”
Even Belgium’s television coverage joined in. During a VAR review, commentator Frank Peterkenne quipped: “Here are the VAR officials. And, of course, you can add Donald Trump from the White House.”
An Iranian Football Federation spokesperson also weighed in the following morning, saying: “Now the whole world is dancing to celebrate politics’ humiliating defeat by football.”
Balogun had initially received an automatic one-match suspension after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32. FIFA, however, deferred the ban for a one-year probationary period under Article 27, allowing him to face Belgium while leaving the red card on his record. Trump later said he had asked for the decision to be reviewed.
Belgium had reacted furiously to FIFA’s ruling before the match. The Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the decision, while head coach Rudi Garcia likened it to an April Fool’s joke. Yet after guiding his side into the quarter-finals, Garcia insisted the controversy neither distracted nor motivated his players.
“No, it wasn’t necessary at all,” Garcia said when asked whether he had used the incident to inspire his team.
“What really mattered to us was our game plan. We wanted to dominate the game, avoid their pressing and play higher up. We played with mastery, willingness and dedication. It was a great night for us and a great qualification for the quarter-finals.”
Garcia also revealed that Balogun approached him after the match.
“He came to talk to me. I really liked that. He’s not the one to blame, and that’s exactly what I told him. I really appreciate that he came to see me,” Garcia said.
Belgium will face Spain in the quarter-finals in Los Angeles on Friday.
