Folarin Balogun Admits Belgium Deserved Win After USA Crash Out Of World Cup

Folarin Balogun admitted the United States were second best after their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign ended with a crushing 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the round of 16.

NEWSNGR reports that the meeting in Seattle had already been overshadowed by controversy before kick-off. Balogun had been sent off in the USA’s previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was due to serve an automatic one-match suspension.

However, FIFA suspended the ban after direct lobbying from U.S. President Donald Trump, a move that sparked strong criticism from the Royal Belgian Football Association and UEFA, who viewed the decision as political interference.

Any hopes that Balogun’s return would inspire the co-hosts quickly faded as Belgium produced a commanding display to book their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Spain. The Americans struggled to match Belgium’s intensity and quality throughout the game.

Reflecting on the defeat, Balogun conceded there could be few complaints about the outcome.

“There’s not too much else I can really say on the matter,” he said. “All that being said, Belgium were the better team today. They played much better than us.”

The striker also apologised to the home supporters, admitting the team’s performance fell well below expectations.

“Today we didn’t give the crowd a lot to cheer for,” Balogun said. “That’s the most disappointing thing, and that’s the part that hurts the most for me personally.

“We have to wait four years again to be in this position, which is hurtful… the feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words.

“To not have the energy in a round-of-16 World Cup game, it’s difficult to explain. So I can only tell you my emotions which are disappointment and a lot of sadness.”