The Belgian national football team has overwhelmed host nation the United States in the Round of 16 of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, following a controversy over a presidential "phone call chance," and took a jab at them off the pitch as well.

Belgium defeated the U.S. 4-1 in the Round of 16 match held at Seattle Stadium today, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in 8 years since the 2018 Russia tournament, where they finished third.

The match was mired in controversy before it even began due to the "suspension of disciplinary action" regarding U.S. forward Folarin Balogun.

Balogun, who scored the winning goal in the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 2 (a 2-0 U.S. victory), was shown a red card after stepping on the ankle of opponent Tarik Muharemovic during the second half.

However, FIFA later made a rare decision to suspend the disciplinary ban for one year. The controversy grew as it was reported that the decision was influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the disciplinary action.

The U.S. team started Balogun, who became eligible to play following the suspension of the ban, but they suffered a crushing defeat without him scoring a goal.

Following the match, the official social media account of the Belgian national team posted the match result with the caption, "This is called 'football'."

The post mocked the U.S. by crossing out the word "soccer," the term used for the sport in the United States, before the word "football."

A photo of Romelu Lukaku's goal celebration was captioned, "Overturn this."

Lukaku, who was substituted in the second half and scored the team's fourth goal in stoppage time to seal the victory, also performed a celebration mimicking President Trump's signature dance moves.

In a post announcing the upcoming quarterfinal match against Spain on July 11, the Belgian team's account wrote, "The quarterfinals are calling," accompanied by a telephone emoji, appearing to mock the "phone call chance."

Belgian players agreed that the controversy leading up to the match served to unite and motivate the team.

Captain Youri Tielemans said in an interview with a local broadcaster, "We held a meeting as soon as we heard the news. We told each other that we had to show it on the pitch, and today we did that," adding, "I am very proud of our team."

Nicolas Raskin also stated, "There was a feeling within the team that it was unfair, and we decided to respond on the pitch," while Dodi Lukebakio added, "I couldn't understand why he could play after receiving a red card, but I tried to focus on our performance."

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia said, "Our squad is very mature, and we have leaders who help us navigate such processes. I told the players that the most important thing is ourselves."

Garcia added, "Balogun came to me and we had a conversation, which was very good. This is not his fault, and I cannot blame him. I told him that as well."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)