World Cup 2026: USA vs. Belgium Predictions

USA vs. Belgium Overview and Latest Odds

According to the latest World Cup odds, USA is the favorite to triumph in its second knockout game of the tournament, but it would be a mistake for anyone to underestimate Belgium.

• Location: Seattle Stadium, Seattle, Washington

• Date & Time: Monday, July 5, 8:00 PM ET

• US Broadcast: FOX Sports

For readers in U.S. states where conventional sports betting is still unavailable, regulated prediction market sites and apps offer a legal alternative. These apps enable users to trade on event outcomes while benefiting from highly accurate, market-driven forecasts.

Expert Betting Predictions and Best Bets for USA vs. Belgium

Below are our three top tips for USA vs. Belgium, including two straight bets and one same-game parlay.

• USA to Advance

As the odds in the table above indicate, this is a very difficult game to call. The best online sportsbooks can hardly separate the USA and Belgium, giving both teams a near-equal chance of progression to the quarter-finals, though those tracking the USA odds to win World Cup futures know the tournament co-hosts have the home-field advantage on their side. It would not be at all surprising if extra time or a penalty shoot-out was required to decide the winner, which is why we recommend backing the USA to advance, rather than tipping it to win the game in 90 minutes. Belgium has been largely average up to now, so the World Cup co-host is poised to extend its participation a little longer.

• USA to Score First

The USA has been quick out of the blocks throughout this World Cup. It has opened the scoring in each of its four games, breaking the deadlock against Paraguay, Australia, Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Mauricio Pochettino likes his teams to play front-footed, aggressive soccer, so there is little chance of the USA sitting back early on against Belgium. It is notable, too, that Belgium conceded the opening goal to Egypt on matchday one of the group phase and then again to Senegal in the round of 32. Tip the USA to score first in this mouthwatering last-16 tie.

• Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score

This promises to be an entertaining encounter. As mentioned above, the USA likes to be proactive and it will take the game to Belgium, even though the latter is a higher-ranked team according to FIFA. Belgium cannot rely on its defense to get it through this match, so it will look to its attacking players - Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Romelu Lukaku and Leandro Trossard - to make the difference. All of which points to a high-scoring fixture, notwithstanding the high stakes involved. Choose both teams to score and over 2.5 goals for your final wager for USA vs. Belgium.

USA Betting Preview

The USA did not have everything its own way in the round of 32. It was in cruise control after an hour, leading Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 and continuing to dominate proceedings. But then Folarin Balogun was shown a red card following a VAR review, instantly handing Bosnia a numerical advantage.

Having previously had the lion’s share of possession, the USA had to suddenly sit deeper and defend its lead. Mauricio Pochettino will have been delighted with how successfully the USA implemented that new approach. Even better, it scored a second goal to put the tie beyond doubt, as Malik Tullman curled home a free-kick from just outside the penalty box.

The tournament has gone very well for the co-host so far. True, it lost 3-2 to Turkey on matchday three, so it is not one of the World Cup’s unbeaten teams. But that defeat came after Pochettino named a much-changed starting XI, and Turkey only scored the decisive goal deep into second-half stoppage time.

Before the big kick-off last month, the goal for the USA was to reach the quarter-finals on home soil. It is now just one win away from realizing that objective.

Belgium Betting Preview

Belgium is through to the round of 16 of World Cup 2026 having topped its group and then beaten arguably the best team in Africa in the last 32. Yet the Red Devils have not been as impressive as that summary suggests. 

Belgium was limp in its first two outings of the summer, tying with both Egypt and Iran. It then thumped a weak New Zealand team 5-1, before requiring a dramatic comeback to defeat Senegal last time out.

To be clear, Belgium deserves credit for overturning a 2-0 deficit with just a few minutes of the Senegal tie remaining. It tied things up at 2-2 against the odds, before sealing the victory in extra time. Yet anyone who watched the game will know that Senegal should have been out of sight long before Belgium mounted its stirring response. For most of the encounter, Belgium was inferior.

A vast improvement is needed against the USA, although Belgium heads into the contest as slight favorites.

How USA and Belgium Match Up Against Each Other

The USA and Belgium have played each other seven times. The USA won the very first meeting 3-0 at World Cup 1930, the inaugural edition of the tournament, but it has had less success since then. Indeed, each of the last six fixtures between this pair have ended with Belgium triumphant.

Its latest victory came just a few months back, as Belgium ran out 5-2 winners against the USA in a friendly in March. Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff will have studied that game intensely in the build-up to today’s World Cup knockout tie, but it is important to avoid reading too much into non-competitive matches like that one.

Belgium will aim to control possession, while the USA will look to win the ball high up the pitch and launch quick attacks. It will aim to take advantage of Belgium’s ropey defense; as Senegal showed last week, that backline can be exploited. With the home crowd behind it, the USA can beat Belgium in the round of 16.