{"id":2625878,"date":"2026-07-06T22:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T02:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/belgium-boots-us-from-world-cup-despite-trumps-last-minute-interference\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T22:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T02:31:04","slug":"belgium-boots-us-from-world-cup-despite-trumps-last-minute-interference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/belgium-boots-us-from-world-cup-despite-trumps-last-minute-interference\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium boots US from World Cup despite Trump&#8217;s last-minute interference"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbelgium-boots-us-from-world-cup-despite-trumps-last-minute-interference%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2625878&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The United States&#8217; Men&#8217;s National Soccer Team&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nba-players-were-right-to-worry-about-a-shortened-offseason-injury-spike-proves-it\/\" title=\"NBA Players Were Right To Worry About A Shortened Offseason, Injury Spike Proves It\">deep run<\/a> in the FIFA world Cup ended in an unexpected 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16, marking their first elimination since 2002.Belgium took an early lead with a goal from Charles De Ketelaere, and despite <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-opens-its-home-world-cup-with-a-dynamic-4-1-victory-over-paraguay\/\" title=\"US opens its home ... with a dynamic 4-1 ... over Paraguay\">malik tillman<\/a> equalizing<\/a> for the US, Belgium scored again before halftime. In the second half, the US made a promising start, but a costly mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Hans Vanaken to score, and Romelu Lukaku sealed Belgium\u2019s victory in stoppage time. The match was overshadowed by a controversy involving US striker Folarin Balogun, who was controversially permitted to play after FIFA overturned a one-match suspension-an act that drew criticism from Belgium and raised questions about openness. Belgium advanced further by defeating Senegal and will face Spain in the quarterfinals, while the US team\u2019s successful tournament run ended with this defeat. The controversy and the on-field results highlight a tournament filled with both achievement and controversy for the US.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States failed to keep its deepest FIFA <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/world-cup\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1397\">World Cup<\/a> run in over 20 years alive Monday night, being humbled by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/belgium\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1783\">Belgium<\/a> 4-1 in the round of 16 and falling short of its first quarterfinal appearance since 2002.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belgium\u2019s Charles De Ketelaere set the tone early, easily finding the back of the net in just the 9th minute. The U.S.\u2019s Malik Tillman would answer on a free-kick goal in the 31st minute, but before the American crowd could finish celebrating, De Ketelaere had headed in another goal, giving Belgium a 2-1 lead going into halftime.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4637413\/shadow-trump-hangs-over-world-cup-red-card-overturn-controversy-infantino\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Inside Trump\u2019s FIFA push that turned the US World Cup into a political storm<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4636658\/european-soccer-belgium-after-fifa-reversed-ban-report\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>European soccer leaders to back Belgium after FIFA reversed one-game ban: Report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4636612\/trump-called-fifa-president-folarin-balogun-ban-report\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump called FIFA president to reverse Folarin Balogun\u2019s one-game ban<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. began the second half with a burst of offense, but disaster would strike in the 57th minute after U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese was unable to clear the ball, allowing Belgium\u2019s Hans Vanaken an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/megan-rapinoe-didnt-deserve-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom\/\" title=\"Megan Rapinoe Didn...t Deserve the Presidential Medal of Freedom\">easy goal<\/a> to give the Red Devils a two-goal lead. Belgium would twist the knife in stoppage time, with Romelu Lukaku sealing it at 4-1<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S.\u2019s defeat follows one of the tournament\u2019s biggest off<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ncaa-expected-to-drop-the-hammer-on-no-3-michigan-wolverines-for-suspected-cheating\/\" title=\"NCAA Expected to Drop the Hammer on No. 3 Michigan Wolverines for Suspected Cheating\">-field controversies<\/a> after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fifa\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4138\">FIFA<\/a> cleared U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play despite an automatic one-match suspension that initially ruled him out following a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Balogun was sent off late in the Americans\u2019 2-0 Round 32 victory, a decision that normally carries a one-game ban. After President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> publicly urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case, FIFA\u2019s disciplinary committee suspended the ban, allowing Balogun to dress against Belgium. Trump later thanked FIFA on social media for \u201creversing a great injustice.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belgium objected to the ruling and sought to challenge Balogun\u2019s eligibility before kickoff. FIFA\u2019s Appeal Committee rejected the Belgian federation\u2019s request as inadmissible, saying Belgium lacked standing because it was not a party to the original disciplinary proceedings. Belgian officials nevertheless vowed to continue contesting the decision, calling the process lacking in transparency. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The controversy has overshadowed what has otherwise been a successful tournament for the host Americans. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States won Group D before defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in Round 32 to reach the knockout stage. Balogun has been among the team\u2019s top attacking threats throughout the tournament, making his availability a significant boost for coach Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s team. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4637413\/shadow-trump-hangs-over-world-cup-red-card-overturn-controversy-infantino\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4637413\/shadow-trump-hangs-over-world-cup-red-card-overturn-controversy-infantino\/\">INSIDE TRUMP\u2019S FIFA PUSH THAT TURNED THE US WORLD CUP INTO A POLITICAL STORM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belgium advanced by edging Senegal 3-2 in Round 32 after winning Group G. The Red Devils entered Monday as one of Europe\u2019s highest-ranked teams and were seeking their second consecutive World Cup quarterfinal appearance. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Red Devils now advance to Friday\u2019s quarterfinal against Spain, with the United States seeking its first semifinal appearance since the inaugural World Cup in 1930.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US World Cup run ends with 4-1 loss to Belgium<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2625879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26188054634483.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[20896,81697,47370],"class_list":["post-2625878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-belgium","tag-us-soccer","tag-world-cup"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26188054634483.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625878"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2625882,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625878\/revisions\/2625882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2625879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}