‘Big disappointment’: The truth behind America’s shocking loss to Belgium
USA TODAY Sports’ Seth Bartelny breaks down the USMNT’s stunning World Cup loss, what went wrong against Belgium, and why this loss was so disappointing.
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The 2026 World Cup will advance to the quarterfinals, with eight participating teams.
The round of 16 concluded on Tuesday, July 7, with Argentina defeating Egypt in a thrilling match and Switzerland defeating Colombia on penalties in a decidedly less thrilling match.
But overall, the Round of 16 delivered some of the most memorable moments of the World Cup to date, from Argentina’s frenetic comeback to England’s stifling victory at the Aztecs.
Let’s take a look back at the Round of 16, focusing on the winners and losers.
Winner: England
It’s not just that England beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, but the manner in which they did so will inspire much belief in the future.
England played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Jarrell Quansah was shown a red card and had to put in a huge effort to beat Mexico 3-2.
Coach Thomas Tuchel’s decision to quickly revert to a defensive shell paid off, as Mexico could do nothing but send desired crosses into England’s defence. England had many heroes that night, overcoming crowds, conditions and altitude to achieve a famous victory.
Harry Kane’s voice, or lack thereof, after the final whistle encapsulated England’s performance.
Winner: Erling Haaland
This could very well be an Erling Haaland tournament.
Norway were seen as dark horses before the World Cup, mainly due to the presence of Haaland. However, at this point the striker may have actually exceeded his lofty pre-tournament expectations.
Haaland’s double helped Norway pass Brazil and score seven points. The goal came in just four games after missing Norway’s final group game. Although Norway don’t have the overall talent level of some of the elite teams at the World Cup, it’s starting to feel like Haaland’s goals alone could make Norway nearly invincible.
Next up is England. Premier League defender Haaland is a regular victim at Manchester City.
Loser: Host country
After the three host nations performed well in the first four matches of the tournament, their dreams all died at the same hurdle.
Canada may be able to take the most positive out of the World Cup. Despite injuries to some of its top players, Canada earned its first World Cup point, then its first World Cup win, and then its first World Cup knockout. Canada got off to a good start in the round of 16 against Morocco, but ultimately failed to score and lost 3-0.
Mexico won all of their opening four games without conceding a goal. However, all of those records stopped after the match against England. There was a lot to like about El Tri, but the way the World Cup ended will be difficult to swallow.
The same was true for the United States, who had a disastrous result against Belgium in one of the biggest games in history. Just like in Mexico, a great start to the tournament was ruined by a loss in the round of 16.
Loser: FIFA
We may never know exactly why FIFA changed Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension to a suspended sentence at the last minute, allowing him to play in the USMNT’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. However, the decision made little sense, and unsurprisingly, given the pressure campaign by the US government, allegations of corruption arose.
FIFA offered no explanation for this stunning reversal other than to hide behind a decree that effectively allows it to do whatever it wants. That will be news to all subsequent teams who have struggled during this tournament. If Balogun’s suspension can be overturned at the last minute, why can’t other players’ suspensions be overturned?
