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The United States now knows which team could await them in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Belgium rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat Senegal, 3-2 in overtime, in the World Cup round of 16 on Wednesday, earning a potential clash with the Americans if the United States takes care of Bosnia-Herzegovina later in the night.
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A victory against Bosnia would not only send the Americans into the round of 16 for the second straight World Cup. This would give rise to a Belgian team which has just completed one of the craziest comebacks of the tournament.
Youri Tielemans #8 of Belgium celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Belgium and Senegal at Seattle Stadium on July 1, 2026. (Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/Getty Images)
Belgium finished third in the 2018 World Cup and failed to advance past the group stage in 2022, but the team still had the star power to make another deep run. Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois have given the Belgians the kind of skills that make a team dangerous in any tournament. This is why Belgium was favorite to defeat Senegal.
But games are not played on paper.
Senegal were first to score in the 25th minute, when Habib Diarra grabbed a rebound after Ismaila Sarr hit the post to give Senegal a 1-0 lead.
The match was briefly interrupted in the 32nd minute when at least three pitch invaders entered the field, forcing officials to stop play while security intervened.
Security personnel invaded the pitch during the interruption while Belgian defender Maxim De Cuyper held the ball while the scene unfolded.
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Photos from the match showed several people being apprehended or escorted away by security during the bizarre stoppage.
Security personnel apprehend several pitch invaders during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between Belgium and Senegal at Seattle Stadium on July 1, 2026. (Getty Images)
It was a strange interruption in the middle of a match that Senegal had largely controlled. And it didn’t change the flow of the game much.
Senegal doubled the lead at the start of the second half. Sarr, who had already contributed to Diarra’s opener by hitting the post, made Belgium pay again in the 51st minute with a pass from Moussa Niakhaté to give Senegal control.
At this point, Senegal appeared to be a lock to advance to the round of 16 for the second consecutive World Cup.
But the talented Belgian team refused to go down easily.
Lukaku halved Senegal’s lead in the 86th minute, finishing off a Thomas Meunier layup to give Belgium life.
Moments later, Youri Tielemans completed the comeback, scoring off a pass from Leandro Trossard to make it 2-2 and plunging what looked like a Senegalese surprise into complete chaos.
Surprisingly, Belgium made a strong comeback without two of their stars on the pitch. De Bruyne and Doku were both substituted in the 56th minute with Belgium trailing 2-0.
The immediate substitutes did not directly factor into either goal, but the Belgian bench still played a major role: half-time substitute Lukaku scored first and Thomas Meunier, who came on in the 78th minute, assisted.
After equalizing late in regulation time, Tielemans headed to the penalty spot in the 120+5th minute and scored the go-ahead goal to complete Belgium’s superb comeback.
Senegal went from leading 2-0 in the 86th minute to ending their tournament less than an hour later.
Attention now turns to the Americans.
The United States enters Wednesday night’s match at Levi’s Stadium with a chance to maintain its World Cup run in front of its home crowd. The reward is clear: beat Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Belgium will be next.
Auston Trusty celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal for the United States during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match against Türkiye at Los Angeles Stadium. (Jared C. Tilton/FIFA via Getty Images)
The USMNT were favorites to advance to the quarterfinals on their side in the round of 16 draw, with Belgium the second favorite. For most of the match, it looked like the Americans might avoid Belgium altogether.
No more.
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The Belgians survived and are enjoying a heroic comeback, perhaps making the path to the United States even more difficult. But before the Americans can even think about that, they have to take care of their business against Bosnia.
If they do so, their opponent in the round of 16 is chosen.
Belgium will wait.
