Belgium Troll Trump After Eliminating USA from World Cup

Belgium appeared to take aim at U.S. President Donald Trump after eliminating the United States from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with several players celebrating using Trump's signature dance following their emphatic 4-1 victory in the Round of 16.

The Red Devils comfortably dispatched the tournament co-hosts in Seattle, booking their place in the quarterfinals after a dominant display that ended the United States' World Cup campaign. 

Belgium did the Trump dance after beating USA 😭 pic.twitter.com/xva7xWZODz

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) July 7, 2026

The match had been overshadowed by controversy surrounding U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, whose one-match suspension was overturned by FIFA shortly before kickoff after intervention that Trump later acknowledged requesting.

Following Romelu Lukaku's stoppage-time goal to make it 4-1, several Belgian players performed the "Trump dance," popularized during the U.S. president's 2024 election campaign. The celebration was widely interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek response to the controversy surrounding Balogun's eligibility.

Belgium's official Instagram account added to the mockery by posting a photo of Lukaku celebrating with the caption, "Overturn this," in an apparent reference to FIFA's decision to rescind Balogun's suspension.

"A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days," Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said after the match. 

"There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field."

Before kickoff, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) had criticized FIFA's decision, describing itself as "astonished" by the late reversal of Balogun's automatic suspension. 

The federation appealed the ruling, but FIFA's disciplinary committee rejected the request, stating that Belgium was not directly involved in the original disciplinary incident and therefore had no standing to challenge the decision.

Belgium will now face Spain in the World Cup quarterfinals after eliminating the United States in one of the tournament's most politically charged encounters.