Belgium rubbed salt in the United States’ wounds after the co-hosts were kicked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, celebrating their emphatic 4-1 Round of 16 victory with a pair of cheeky social media posts that quickly went viral.The Belgian Red Devils appeared to directly address the controversy surrounding the overturned suspension of Folarin Balogun, posting a pointed message on Instagram shortly after the final whistle.
‘Bring it back’ post goes viral
After their commanding victory in Seattle, Belgium shared an Instagram Story that simply read: “Bring it back.”The comment was widely interpreted as a sarcastic dig at FIFA’s decision to suspend the enforcement of Balogun’s automatic one-match ban just a day before the knockout clash. Balogun was shown a red card during the United States’ Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic suspension. However, FIFA later invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to delay the ban for a one-year trial period, allowing the striker to feature against Belgium.ALSO READ: After all the drama… Balogun’s controversial FIFA recall ends sadly at World Cup with little impactThe decision sparked widespread criticism across the football world, with the Belgian football federation unsuccessfully challenging Balogun’s eligibility before kick-off.Belgium didn’t stop there.The Red Devils also reignite the long-running “football” versus “soccer” debate by posting the X. “It’s called FOOTBALL.”The playful jab drew immediate reactions from fans, especially after Belgium’s convincing win ended the hosts’ World Cup campaign.
Belgium dominated despite the Balogun controversy
On the pitch, Belgium ensured that the pre-match controversy became little more than a footnote with a clinical performance.Charles De Ketelaere produced a Player of the Match display, scoring twice and providing an assist as Belgium booked their place in the quarter-finals. Hans Vanaken scored his maiden FIFA World Cup goal, while substitute Romelu Lukaku completed the scoring in stoppage time with his third consecutive World Cup goal.The United States briefly threatened when Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick tied the scores in the first half, but Belgium responded almost immediately before taking full control after the interval.A costly mistake from goalkeeper Matt Freese gave Belgium a third goal, and Lukaku took advantage of a late defensive error to seal an emphatic victory.ALSO READ: Romelu Lukaku wrote incredible World Cup history with super-sub feat as Belgium ended USA’s dreamBalogun, whose availability dominated the headlines before kickoff, failed to justify the attention surrounding FIFA’s decision. The striker, who entered the game with three goals in the tournament, assisted on the winning free-kick from which Tillman equalized but struggled to influence proceedings thereafter before being substituted late in the contest.The loss ended the United States’ hopes of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2002 and made them the last of the three co-host nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico.