Belgium eliminated the United States from the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dominant 4-1 victory in Seattle on Monday, turning a politically charged buildup over striker Folarin Balogun's red-card reprieve into a lopsided Round of 16 defeat for the co-host.

Belgium Turns Political Drama Into Rout

President Donald Trump's intervention with FIFA overshadowed the match before kickoff. Trump told reporters that if Belgium beat the U.S. after officials kept Balogun out, "I say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won't get into that," according to a clip posted by independent journalist Aaron Rupar and cited in live coverage.

Belgium made the controversy look irrelevant on the field. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku added second-half goals to send Belgium into the quarterfinals against Spain. After the fourth goal, several Belgian players appeared to mimic Trump's familiar campaign-trail dance, rocking their hips and slowly pumping their arms.

Belgium Mocks FIFA Decision After Win

Belgium's official national team account added to the mockery after the final whistle, posting "Overturn this," a reference to the pre-match dispute. Belgium had unsuccessfully challenged Balogun's eligibility after FIFA suspended his automatic one-match ban for 12 months.

Balogun had received a straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic suspension. Trump later confirmed that he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked him to review the decision, saying he "didn't think it was a foul." He said he did not order Infantino to suspend the ban and argued the suspension "would have left a big stain" on the tournament.

"I didn't know what… a red card was," Trump told reporters at a White House event promoting Trump Accounts, an investment vehicle for children.

UEFA And Iran Add To Backlash

UEFA criticized FIFA's intervention as having "crossed a red line," while Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin told the BBC that his squad felt a "sense of injustice" and wanted to respond on the field. Captain Youri Tielemans said Belgium told itself it had to respond "on the pitch."

Iran also used the U.S. defeat to jab Washington, posting a screenshot of its draw with Belgium beside the American loss and writing, "Now the whole world is dancing for the humiliating defeat of politics against football." The message followed a separate controversy in which U.S. homeland security chief Markwayne Mullin said he "did a happy dance" after Iran's group-stage elimination, after visa and travel disputes had clouded Iran's tournament.