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United States and Belgium will face each other in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on Monday, July 6, at Lumen Field in Seattle, starting at 23:00 UTC (20:00 Cuba time), in one of the most exciting matchups of the knockout stage.
The has a World Cup history: Belgium eliminated the United States in the round of 16 in Brazil 2014 with a 2-0 victory in extra time, and the most recent encounter also does not favor the home team: in a friendly match held in Atlanta on March 28, 2026, the Belgians thrashed the Americans 5-2.
The United States enters this round as the leader of Group D with six points and a goal difference of +4, having defeated Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), and lost to Turkey (2-3) in the last matchday.
In the round of 16, the host team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 with goals by Folarin Balogun (45') and Malik Tillman (82' from a free kick), although they had to defend the lead with ten men for over 25 minutes after Balogun's red card in the 64th minute.
It is the first time since the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan that the United States has advanced past the knockout stage, but they reach the Round of 16 with a significant loss: Balogun, the team's top scorer with four goals in the tournament, will not be able to play due to suspension.
Belgium, for its part, finished first in Group G with five points and a goal difference of +4, with draws against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0), and a thrashing of New Zealand (5-1).
Their advancement to the round of 16 was the most dramatic of the tournament: the Belgians came back from a 0-2 deficit against Senegal with goals from Romelu Lukaku (86') and a header by Youri Tielemans (89'), before Tielemans converted a penalty in the 124th minute for the final score of 3-2 in extra time.
According to the statistics portal The Analyst, Tielemans' goal at 124 minutes and 44 seconds is the latest goal in World Cup history.
The winner of the match on July 6 will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, which is being held for the first time with 48 participating teams.
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