Belgium crushes United States 4-1 and hits back at Trump with cutting 'Overturn this'

Belgium qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup by crushing the United States 4-1 at Seattle Stadium, in a match preceded by an unprecedented intervention from Donald Trump with FIFA president Gianni Infantino to overturn the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun.

Before kick-off, Trump himself lit the fuse at a press conference. Acknowledging that he had contacted Infantino about Balogun’s red card — “I didn’t tell him what to do, I can’t tell him what to do” — he added: “If they beat us, I’ll say the match was rigged, just like the 2020 election was rigged.” FIFA ultimately lifted the player’s suspension, allowing him to play in the match.

On the pitch, Balogun’s presence changed nothing about the outcome. Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the 9th minute, before Malik Tillman briefly equalized for the United States (31st). The Atalanta striker immediately responded by doubling the lead in the 33rd minute. In the second half, an error by American goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Hans Vanaken to extend the lead (57th), and Romelu Lukaku sealed the demonstration late in the match for the final 4-1.

The Belgian federation chose irony to close the political debate. Minutes after the final whistle, it posted on Instagram a laconic “Overturn this” — a direct response to accusations of manipulation leveled by the White House. The score, for its part, called for no further comment.