2026 World Cup: Belgium goes from hosted to hunted against Team USA

by · The Seattle Times

For the bulk of its month stay in the United States, and specifically at its base camp at the Sounders training center, Belgium has enjoyed a downright hospitable experience.

The Red Devils have quietly gone about their business, making Renton their home without much fanfare. They’ve been warmly received and expressed nothing but positives about their stay in the Puget Sound.

And when it came time for its matches in the group stage and knockout rounds, Belgium played before primarily neutral crowds. Maybe they didn’t have a majority of the support every time, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly against them either.

That is about to change.

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No FIFA Men’s World Cup in history has featured more true away matches for opponents than this one thanks to the three different countries sharing hosting duties. And all due respect to the challenges faced by Paraguay and Turkey in Los Angeles, Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Bay Area and even Australia in Seattle when it played the U.S. earlier in the tournament, Belgium knows its walking into a cauldron Monday night facing the Americans at Seattle Stadium.

“We know this is a challenging game. The whole stadium will be against us,” Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said.

If the Australia match against the U.S. was any indication, Monday night has the chance to be a special environment around downtown Seattle and specifically inside the temporarily renamed Lumen Field.

Belgium will end up playing more matches at the stadium than any other team in the tournament. There is something to be said for familiarity. But what they are going to face on Monday with the pro-American crowd is nothing like the Belgians have seen during this tournament.

“I think we just have to show (guts). Show (guts) on the pitch, try to play your own game,” Belgium’s Maxim De Cuyper said. “If you play against 80,000 supporters or with 80,000 supporters you have to try and do the same and I think that’s what we’re going to try.  

Belgium did get a little taste of what it may feel and sound like in Los Angeles against Iran and earlier this week playing Senegal in Seattle. The match against Iran — as mostly unwatchable as the 0-0 draw was — featured a heavily pro-Iranian crowd at SoFi Stadium. And while there was just a small section of Senegal fans in Seattle last Wednesday, the neutral fans seemed to throw their support behind the African club rather than the Belgians.

But playing in a hostile setting is nothing new to the Belgians — either in the national team or club team settings. Courtois plays for Real Madrid and feels the disdain every time he travels to Atletico Madrid or Barcelona. Kevin De Bruyne was part of numerous Manchester Derbys during his time at Manchester City.

“Well, our thoughts are that we know that it will be a difficult game because they are playing at home. And, they have been growing a lot since we played the last friendly game. So, we know we will face a very difficult team,” Belgium’s Dodi Lukébakio said. “But I think after the game against Senegal, that was a unique game, it gave us a special feeling. So, we have a kind of extra boost now. And I think that after playing this kind of game, (we) will, I think, have more confidence.”

Only two teams picked up a victory in the 11 games to date played by one of the three home countries. Canada earned a win and a draw in its first two group matches in Toronto and Vancouver before Switzerland pulled out a 2-1 victory in Vancouver in the final group stage match.

But Mexico was utterly dominant in four straight wins — three in Mexico City and one in Guadalajara — heading into Sunday night’s matchup against England at Azteca Stadium.

And the U.S. has three victories and its one loss to Turkey came in a match with no influence on the group stage results and came in the final seconds.

Belgium defender Timothy Castagne sees both sides of the challenge. Yes, it will be difficult for his side with 60,000-plus in the stadium pulling against them. But that atmosphere can also create challenges for the home team if thing start going in Belgium’s favor.

“Obviously, it’s like they’re at home. So, there will be a lot more fans for them,” Castagne said in French this week. “But, as soon as it turns a little less good for them, it can also turn against them, and they will have more pressure. So, I don’t have a problem, it doesn’t bother me. We play and we don’t hear what’s going on around the pitch. When we’re on the pitch, we’re a bit in our bubble.”