Belgium and USA Advance to World Cup Round of 16
Belgium and USA Advance to World Cup Round of 16
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The national teams of Belgium and the United States have successfully advanced past the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup, which is currently being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The two teams will face each other in the next round of the tournament for a spot in the quarterfinals.
The most dramatic match took place in Seattle between Belgium and Senegal. Regular time ended in a 2-2 draw. The Senegalese side took the lead twice, courtesy of goals from Habib Diarra in the 24th minute and Ismaila Sarr in the 51st minute. The Belgians managed to salvage the match in the final minutes of normal time, with Romelu Lukaku scoring in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans equalizing in the 89th minute.
Belgium secured victory through a penalty converted by Tielemans in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the second half of extra time. The penalty was awarded following a foul committed in the 117th minute of the match.
For Ismaila Sarr, the goal was his fourth of the current world championship. With this strike, he equaled the single-tournament scoring record for an African national team player, which was established by Cameroon's Roger Milla at the 1990 World Cup.
In the other round of 32 match, the United States defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on home soil in San Francisco. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring in the 45th minute, and Malik Tillman doubled the hosts' advantage in the 82nd minute. Balogun was later sent off in the 64th minute for serious foul play.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, 40-year-old forward Edin Dzeko started the match, becoming the oldest outfield player in history to participate in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage game.
The round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium will take place on 6 July 2026 in Seattle.
The current World Cup is the first edition to feature 48 national teams and is being held across three nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will conclude on 19 July 2026.
