USA vs. Belgium: Round of 16 Preview & Lineup Predictions

Charlie Zschau Updated: 52 minutes ago

The United States is back in World Cup knockout stage action on Monday against Belgium.

Jump ahead to the Predicted Lineups Here.

The United States Men's National Team will face Belgium in the 2026 World Cup round of 16. The USA enter this match on the back of a 2-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina, which was the nation's first knockout stage victory in 24 years.

The Americans dominated possession in the first half against Bosnia, and Folarin Balogun opened the scoring in the 45th minute. Balogun pounced on the first real chance of the game and scored his third goal of the tournament, making him the team's top scorer.

The second half became a much more tightly contested affair, but the game opened up when VAR prompted a highly controversial red card for Balogun for accidentally stepping on the ankle of a Bosnian player. The USA played with 10 men on the field from the 64th minute onwards.

Bosnia controlled the play for the remainder of the match, but nearly all of their efforts at goal came from long range and never truly challenged Matt Freese in goal. Freese made three saves, while defenders Chris Richards and Tim Ream ensured Bosnia could not create any clear-cut chances.

The USA found the back of the net a second time in the 82nd minute off the foot of Malik Tillman. Tillman stood over a free kick from just outside the box and clipped a shot up and over the tall Bosnian wall and past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. The goal was Tillman's first of the tournament.

Belgium enter the Round of 16 matchup after an incredible comeback victory against Senegal. Senegal were leading 2-0 for the majority of the game, but Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to get a goal back in the 86th minute, immediately followed by a Youri Tielemans equaliser in the 89th minute. The match went to extra time, and Youri Tielemans buried the winning penalty in the 125th minute (the fifth minute of stoppage time in extra time).

Tielemans' winning goal goes down as the latest goal in World Cup history, and Belgium became the second team to win a World Cup match after trailing by two goals.

The United States will face the resilient Belgian side in the Round of 16. The USMNT have not beaten Belgium since the inaugural World Cup in 1930, and in the most recent meeting between the two nations just three months ago, Belgium defeated the USA 5-2.

Updated 2026 World Cup Knockout Stage Bracket

USA's Keys to Victory vs. Belgium

The Round of 16 match against Belgium will require a different approach than the Bosnia game. Bosnia are tall and like to sit in a low block defensively, while Belgium will try and maintain possession and not heavily rely on their defensive unit, which is the weakest part of the team.

The USA will need to take advantage of this weak part of the Belgian team and be a constant threat going forward, testing the Belgian defenders in different ways. The Americans have scored 10 goals so far during the World Cup, four from open play and four from set pieces, showing the diverse attacking skill sets in the team.

Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi will also have more pressure to score in the match with Balogun, the team's leading scorer, suspended. Neither player has hit the back of the net so far in the tournament, but it is better late than never for both players to get off the mark.

Defensively, Antonee Robinson and Alex Freeman will have to be on high alert against Belgium's tricky wingers, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard. Both players are crucial to Belgium's attack, and if the American fullbacks can contain them like the Senegalese defenders did for the first 85 minutes, the USA should be able to minimize Belgium's biggest threats.

Romelu Lukaku is another player the USA defense will have to deal with in this match. Although he has only started one game due to lacking match fitness, Lukaku has scored two goals so far in the tournament. The 33-year-old forward is deadly inside the box, and Chris Richards and Tim Ream will need to blanket him while also being aerially dominant when he is on the field.

USA vs. Belgium Start Time, Date & Location

The USA will face Belgium at the Seattle Stadium on Monday, July 6th.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET (7:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM MT / 5:00 PM PT).

USA's Lineup Prediction

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Formation: 4-2-3-1

		ST Ricardo Pepi

LM Christian Pulisic		CAM Malik Tillman		RM Sergino Dest

	CM Tyler Adams		CM Weston McKennie

LB Antonee Robinson				RB Alex Freeman
	CB Tim Ream		CB Chris Richards
		GK Matt Freese

Due to his red card against Bosnia, The United States will be without Folarin Balogun against Belgium. Ricardo Pepi is the most likely man to replace him due to playing in all four matches compared to Haji Wright's one late substitute appearance. Wright could be called into action off the bench if Pochettino's team is in need of a goal in the second half.

The rest of the team is likely to remain unchanged. Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Malik Tillman have been immense in the midfield so far in the tournament, and Sebastian Berhalter and Gio Reyna are very viable options to bring off the bench.

Reserve players Cristian Roldan, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty are all dealing with injuries and are questionable before the match. None of these players are expected to start but could be useful off the bench.

Belgium's Lineup Prediction

Manager: Rudi Garcia
Formation: 4-2-3-1

		ST Charles De Ketelaere

LM Jeremy Doku		CAM Kevin De Bruyne		RM Leandro Trossard

	CM Youri Tielemans		CM Hans Vanakan

LB Maxime De Cuyper				RB Timothy Castagne
	CB Arthur Theate		CB Brandon Mechele
		GK Thibault Courtois

Rudi Garcia is unlikely to make many changes entering Belgium's fifth game at the 2026 World Cup. Romelu Lukaku's match fitness is still in question, so Garcia is likely to keep him on the bench until the team needs a new look going forward.