The USMNT continue their 2026 World Cup campaign on Monday with a Round of 16 matchup against Belgium, the team that sent the United States home in 2018. The Americans have looked better than ever in this tournament, and they’ll now have star striker Folarin Balogun available for the match. Balogun was sent off with a red card in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and therefore suspended for this game, but FIFA has decided to postpone the suspension and will allow Balogun to play against Belgium. Kickoff in Seattle is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The recent USA vs. Belgium odds from FanDuel list both Belgium as -116 favorites to advance to the next round, while the USMNT are -106. Meanwhile, the Over/Under for total goals scored in regulation time is 2.5. There’s no shortage of other soccer betting options at FanDuel, where you can use the recent FanDuel promo code to get $1,000 in bet reset tokens.
You can get even more USA vs. Belgium picks and more World Cup bets from SportsLine’s experts like Brad Thomas, Jon Eimer, Martin Green and Brandt Sutton. Anyone following their World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
USA vs. Belgium odds
| USA vs. Belgium 90-minute money line: | Belgium +160, Tie +240, USA +170 |
| USA vs. Belgium 90-minute over/under: | 2.5 (Over -154, Under +126) |
| Bet USA vs. Belgium on FanDuel: | Check out the recent FanDuel promo code here |
USA vs. Belgium betting preview
The Americans weren’t dead in the water without Balogun, but the sudden reversal to allow him to play is enormous news. Balogun has been the tip of the spear in Mauricio Pochettino’s offense, proving to potentially be even more important than Christian Pulisic. His inclusion now means that the USMNT will be that much more of a threat to the Belgian defense and that the team will have even better depth with Ricardo Pepi likely now coming off the bench again.
Belgium will all but surely be livid that Balogun will be allowed to participate, and understanably so. That could cause them to play with a bit more edge — something that would have benefitted them against Senegal in the Round of 32. Youri Tielemans‘ winning penalty kick was a thing of beauty, but Belgium didn’t win the game as much as Senegal lost it. The Belgians looked lifeless and were down 2-0 before Senegal took their foot off the gas. Stars Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku were both pulled early and it will be interesting to see how manager Rudi Garcia deploys them against the USMNT.
Despite beating Senegal 3-2, the Belgians still lack a true offensive star. Tielemans scored twice but is much more of a passer than a scorer, and longtime striker Romelu Lukaku isn’t exactly a picture of fitness when he comes off the bench. The Belgians can defend and can also maintain possession, but they struggle to do anything with the ball once they have it.
Pochettino has crafted the USMNT as a team that like to have the ball and scrap hard to win it back when they lose it. With Balogun once again in the fold, they now have their primary outlet available. Expect a hard-fought match, but the Americans simply look more dangerous right now. That statement would have been unthinkable in 2014, when the Belgians eliminated the USMNT at the World Cup despite a heroic effort from goalkeeper Tim Howard.
The script is set to flip on Monday.
USA vs. Belgium picks, prediction
USA to qualify for next round (-106)
Outside of the comeback against a Senegal team wracked by poor decision making, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Belgium has looked genuinely good at this tournament. The USMNT will be reinvigorated with Balogun up top and while the Belgians may play with a chip on their shoulders, they may also be angry enough to commit some rash fouls. It’s hard to see an argument for Belgium scoring more goals.
Folarin Balogun anytime goalscorer (+175)
For all of Belgium’s flaws up top, the defensive backbone of the team isn’t bad. Balogun is the right kind of dynamic attacker to get in the right positions against this team. He’ll be eager to make a statement, and you’d imagine he might have a point to prove if he gets fouled early and often by an angry Belgian team.
