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Who: USA vs Belgium
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16
Location: Seattle Stadium, Seattle, Washington, USA
Date and time: Monday 7pm (00:00 GMT Tuesday)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 20:30 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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The dirty game begins before the ball is even kicked – and America has the advantage. Some may argue that it’s unfair.
Less than 48 hours before the U.S. faced Belgium in the last 16, U.S. President Donald Trump personally asked FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino to reconsider the case involving the U.S. team, according to multiple reports.
It was about the red card given to in-form striker Folarin Balogun in the last match. Normally such a warning would lead to at least a one-game suspension, but FIFA took the unprecedented decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic red card suspension after the US allegedly played a “trump card”.
Balogun’s controversial call-up to allow him to play in Monday’s decisive World Cup finals has left many questioning the growing influence of politics in football, while also putting FIFA’s disciplinary process in the spotlight, albeit for the wrong reasons.
It remains to be seen whether the decision will hold against Belgium, but after several days of lobbying, pressure is mounting on the remaining World Cup co-hosts, the United States, to step up in Seattle and aim for their first quarter-final berth in more than 20 years.
Al Jazeera tells you all about America vs. Belgium:
How did America and Belgium make it to the last 16?
After losing to Turkiye, the United States defeated Paraguay and Australia to advance to Group D with six points. They defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32 to begin their bid for the knockout stages.
Belgium topped Group G with five points after drawing with Egypt and Iran before defeating New Zealand. In the last 32 match against Thailand, they defeated Senegal 3-2 in extra time.
Balogun’s red card suspension raises questions about integrity
Until Sunday, the focus of the match was purely about football. Co-hosts America carry the weight of rising expectations in a promising tournament, while an experienced Belgian side is far from convincing.
But the high-stakes conflict took a political turn when President Trump’s personal intervention prompted a last-minute U-turn from FIFA. Balogun, who was sent off for sticking a boot into the ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Mujaremović, received a one-match ban, paving the way for him to start against Belgium.
“In accordance with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the enforcement of match suspensions will be suspended for a one-year trial period,” FIFA said in a statement.
Whether FIFA acted in the interest of justice or undermined its own rules is up for debate, but what is clearer is that, with just two weeks to go until the July 19 final, this decision has become the tournament’s biggest talking point.
“I think 99.9 percent of the people in soccer say this is an unfair penalty. I don’t understand why people would be surprised when there is evidence from the past that allows the penalty to be withheld and implemented later,” U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters.
“Things like this have happened before. It’s not unique that it happened only to us. … And we’ve seen in this World Cup that a lot of players were not punished. I’m happy for this because it would have been unfair.”
Naturally, Belgian coach Rudi Garcia had a different opinion.
“At the FIFA office, we didn’t know that July 5th is April 1st in Europe,” Garcia said through an interpreter in an April Fool’s comparison.
“The Belgian federation is not defending itself. It is not defending the national team. She is defending football in general. She is defending her integrity and ethics. I think this is the first decision in the history of the World Cup.”
USA vs. Belgium predictions
The Opta supercomputer’s calculations were as close to determining a winner as the Americans had a 37.2% chance of winning within the allotted time, compared to Belgium’s 36.5%.
The model estimated a 26.3% chance that a game would go into overtime and possibly be penalized.
The U.S. hasn’t reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002, while Belgium hasn’t gotten that far since finishing third in 2018.
Kickoff time and TV schedule
US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (5pm PDT, 8pm EDT) Belgium: Auvio, La Une, VRT1, VRT Max, Sporza (2am CET Tuesday) UK: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (1am BST Tuesday)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Who will the winner face in the quarterfinals?
The winner of the U.S.-Belgium game will face either Portugal or Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday in Los Angeles.
direct confrontation
After defeating Belgium 3-0 in the 1930 World Cup, the United States has lost each of the past six tournaments since then.
In their most recent encounter, Belgium defeated the United States 5-2 in a friendly in March.
team news
American Cristian Roldan is questionable with a muscle injury.
No injuries were reported at the Belgian camp.
Expected USA lineup
(4-3-3): Freeze (goalie). Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson. McKechnie, Adams, Tillman. Dest, Balogun, Pulisic
Expected lineup for Belgium
(4-2-3-1): Courtois (goalkeeper). Castagne, Michele, Theater, de Kuyper. Tielemans, Vanaken. Trossard, De Bruyne, Doc. Lukaku
