Home crowd and old ghosts: USA meet Belgium in the World Cup last 16
A home crowd, a suspended star striker and the ghost of 2014: everything you need to know before the United States take on Belgium in the World Cup last 16 at Seattle
Twelve years on, the United States get their rematch. Belgium knocked the Americans out of the 2014 World Cup in one of that tournament’s most exhausting nights, and now the two meet again in the last 16, this time in Seattle with the home crowd roaring the hosts on. Kickoff at Lumen Field is 5pm local on Monday, and the storylines almost write themselves
The ghost of Salvador 2014
Anyone who watched the last meeting will not have forgotten it. Belgium beat the USA 2-1 after extra time in the round of 16, but the score barely tells the story. Tim Howard made 16 saves that night, a World Cup record, and still ended up on the losing side as Belgium’s quality eventually told. That American team went home heroes in defeat. This one wants to finish the job the other way around, on home soil, in front of its own fans
A young USA missing its in-form striker
Mauricio Pochettino has leaned into youth with this squad, one of the youngest the USA has ever taken to a World Cup, and it carried them past Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32. The catch is that the man who settled that game will not be available here. Folarin Balogun scored the opener against Bosnia for his third goal of the tournament, then picked up a red card that rules him out of the Belgium tie. Losing a striker in that kind of form is the worst possible way to head into a knockout game.
The good news for Pochettino is that Christian Pulisic is fit and firing. The AC Milan forward is the most experienced player in the group and the one the whole attack runs through. Ricardo Pepi steps into the frame with Balogun out, and a midfield of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman gives the hosts the legs to make life awkward for an older Belgian side
Belgium’s golden generation, one more time
For Belgium, this feels like the last act of a long story. Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel have been at the heart of the national team for over a decade, and a run in North America would be a fitting send-off for a group that has promised more at World Cups than it has delivered. Lukaku remains Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 92 goals, and Youri Tielemans now wears the armband after Rudi Garcia handed him the captaincy in 2025
They have not exactly been convincing, mind you. Belgium topped Group G but only after two draws, with Egypt and Iran, before thrashing New Zealand 5-1. Then came the round of 32, where they trailed Senegal 2-0 with four minutes of normal time left and looked finished, only to force extra time and win it 3-2 through a Tielemans penalty. Great sides find a way, but so do lucky ones, and Belgium will not want to leave it that late again
A quarter-final worth chasing
The prize is a big one. Whoever comes through in Seattle goes on to face the winner of Portugal against Spain, the standout tie of the whole round, with a place in the semi-finals on the line. For the USA, reaching the last eight of a home World Cup would be a landmark. For Belgium, it might be the only way to keep this generation’s story alive a little longer
Indian fans will need to be up early. The match kicks off at around 5:30am IST on Tuesday, the graveyard-shift slot that so many of these American-hosted knockouts have landed in. For a rematch this loaded, though, plenty will set the alarm
Keep up with all the World Cup last-16 drama
Related Tags:
BelgiumChristian PulisicFIFA World Cup 2026FootballKevin De BruyneMauricio PochettinoTim HowardUSAWorld Cup last 16
