USA vs. Belgium Confirmed For The Round Of 16: Here’s What To Know

Next up for the United States: Belgium. For the second time in its last three World Cups, the USA will take on the Red Devils in the round of 16. Earlier on Wednesday, Belgium completed a stunning comeback to beat Senegal to seal its spot in the round of 16, while the USA took care of business against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United States received a blow in its win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, though. Striker Folarin Balogun, who scored the winner against the Bosnians for his third goal of the tournament, was sent off in the second half. He will miss the game against Belgium. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup, which will take place in Seattle on Monday. These teams faced off back in 2014, when Belgium won, 2-1, to eliminate the Americans. The game is remembered for an incredible 16-save performance by then-USA goalkeeper Tim Howard. It went to extra time, when midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku scored. USA winger Julian Green found the back of the net in the 107th minute, but it wasn’t enough for the USA. No Americans who were on the 2014 World Cup squad are also in this year’s team. For Belgium, though, there were three players from that squad who started against Senegal: goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, De Bruyne and Lukaku. There is more recent history between these teams, dating back just to March, when Belgium took care of business in a convincing friendly win over the USA. Five Belgian players started both that friendly in March and the team’s round of 16 win over Senegal. For the USA, six players started that day in March and against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. One of those six American players, though, was Balogun. The U.S. led that game at halftime through a goal from Weston McKennie, but Belgium scored three times in the first 15 minutes of the second half en route to a convincing victory. Belgium won Group G, but it didn’t do so in very convincing fashion. The Red Devils opened group play with a 1-1 draw against Egypt and a 0-0 against Iran. From there, Belgium needed to get a result in their final game against New Zealand and delivered. The Belgians earned a 5-1 win to advance to the knockout stage. Then, the chaos really began in the round of 32 against Senegal. It looked like Belgium was going to be knocked out in convincing fashion after going down 2-0 in the first 51 minutes. The Red Devils then rebounded with goals in the 86th and 89th minutes from striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Youri Tielemans. Then, late in stoppage time, Belgium was awarded a penalty, which Tielemans converted for the victory. The Key Players Big soccer fans will be very familiar with De Bruyne, who has been one of the best playmakers over the past decade. He spent 10 seasons at Manchester City from 2015-2025, scoring 108 goals with 170 assists in 422 games. He thrives with both feet and was the best passer in the world over an extended period of time. That said, De Bruyne is now 35 years old and past his prime. He just finished his first season with Napoli in Serie A and only played 21 games due to injury. Through four games at this World Cup, De Bruyne has one goal without an assist. The goal came in Belgium’s blowout win over New Zealand. De Bruyne will start, but he has not played 90 minutes in any match yet at the World Cup and only lasted 56 minutes against Senegal. Two players have three goal contributions for Belgium at the World Cup. One is veteran striker Romelu Lukaku, who has only started one of the Red Devils’ first four games. The other is Trossard, who has two goals and an assist, which came against Senegal on Tielemans’ 89th-minute equalizer. The Arsenal winger has started all four games for Belgium on the left wing and has been the team’s most consistent attacker. Striker Charles De Ketelaere has started three games but has no goals and no assists, as does winger Jeremy Doku. Like De Bruyne, Trossard can play well with both feet and is technically very sound. Expect him to be a player who Belgium looks to play through early and often. When And Where Will USA vs. Belgium Be Played? This matchup will take place on Monday, July 6, at Seattle Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be watched on FOX and streamed on FOX One.