With the much-talked-about striker Folarin Balogun in the starting XI, the United States of America were hammered 4-1 by Belgium in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, as Donald Trump’s ‘FIFA influence’ proved futile. In the build-up to the USA vs Belgium clash, FIFA’s decision to overturn Balogun’s one-game ban following a red card in the previous match was the main talking point. FIFA’s reversal came only after Trump called the sport’s governing body chief, Gianni Infantino, seeking his intervention for a potential review of the decision. In fact, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku even seemingly mocked Donald Trump by doing his trademark dance.
While FIFA did lift Balogun’s ban, suspending the verdict for one year and allowing him to play against Belgium, the result still turned out to be an embarrassment for the team. Balogun remained ineffective throughout the game as Belgium flexed their muscles. Once the USA’s elimination from the tournament was confirmed, fans flooded social media with Donald Trump memes. The highlight, however, was Lukaku’s dance.
Lukaku e sujeito homem pra caralho.
Fez o Quarto Gol da goleada em cima dos Estados Unidos, na casa dos caras.
E a comemoracao foi como?
imitando a dancinha do verme do Trump, que interviu na copa pra favorecer os Estados Unidos.
Foda Kkkkkkkkkkkkkk pic.twitter.com/n6a7r1mBIQ
— Ceo Da Acaraje (@AcarajeCeo) July 7, 2026
Here are some of the memes on Donald Trump:
The only man who can save USA against Belgium pic.twitter.com/y0gwPQftT6
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) July 7, 2026
President Trump takes the podium at Lumen Field after the USA’s loss to Belgium:
does the loss even count?
is Belgium just a Walmart parking lot with waffles?
are the people who call it “football” all somehow French?
is soccer… fired? pic.twitter.com/GTsqWRmQ0s
— Sovey (@SoveyX) July 7, 2026
BREAKING: Trump imposing 10x tariffs on Belgium for doing the Trump Dance to mock Team USA, on U.S. soil. pic.twitter.com/dCzAHghg0q
— Christian Ziegler (@ChrisMZiegler) July 7, 2026
To rub salt on the US team’s wounds, Belgium midfielder Yuri Tielemans said after the game that his team was pumped up because of the Folarin Balogun red card controversy.
“Let’s be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news,” Tielemans said of the Balogun controversy. “We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That’s what we did today. I’m very proud of the team.”
Balogun was named in the United States line-up on Monday after FIFA suspended his one-match ban for a sending off in the last 32, but he made little impact in the match.
The shock FIFA decision came after an intervention by US President Donald Trump in a decision which drew condemnation across the football world.
“We played with real grit,” Tielemans said. “We wanted to get off to a good start — something we’d been missing earlier in the tournament. We knew that if we put them under pressure, they’d make mistakes.”
With AFP Inputs
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
Topics mentioned in this article
