The USMNT was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring after capitalizing on some sloppy defending, but Malik Tillman equalized with a free kick. De Ketelaere headed in Leandro Trossard’s cross to make it 2-1, but the game was still delicately poised until USA goalkeeper Matt Freese made an unfortunate error in the 58th minute. De Ketelaere stole the ball from his feet, and Hans Vanaken rolled the ball into an empty net.
Fans were already leaving Lumen Field in Seattle by the time Romelu Lukaku scored Belgium’s fourth goal in injury time. It was a disappointing end to an impressive tournament for Team USA.
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Team USA World Cup recap
The Stars and Stripes began their group stage campaign by thumping Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic carved open the Paraguay defense in the opening stages, forcing Damián Bobadilla to turn the ball into his own net. Folarin Balogun then scored twice, before substitute Maurício pulled one back for Paraguay. However, substitute Gio Reyna then put the seal on a dominant Team USA performance by curling in a trivela in the dying stages of the game.
Team USA then eased to a 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle on Matchday 2. Cameron Burgess scored an own-goal as he struggled to deal with Balogun’s fierce low cross into the penalty area. Alex Freeman made it 2-0 with a towering header just before half-time, and the USA rarely looked troubled in the second half.
That result guaranteed the USA a first-place finish in Group D, so manager Mauricio Pochettino could afford to rest his key players for the game against Türkiye on Matchday 3. Team USA lost 3-2, but it was a meaningless match for both teams. The Stars and Stripes beat Bosnia and Hezegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32, courtesy of goals from Balogun and Tillman. However, Balogun was sent off for an awkward challenge on Tarik Muharemović.
He was set to miss the USMNT’s Round of 16 game against Belgium, but a timely intervention from President Trump resulted in Balogun’s suspension being overturned. However, Balogun couldn’t stop his team from losing to a Belgium team that’s stacked with elite forwards.
Prior to that defeat, prediction markets gave the US team a 3.0% chance of winning the 2026 World Cup. That put them well behind France, Argentina, Spain, and England in the futures market. The USMNT was priced at 4.3% with Kalshi to win the World Cup, but only 2.8% with Polymarket. That large spread suggested patriotic traders on Kalshi are more bullish on Team USA’s chances of success, but more volume flowed through Polymarket.
For live pricing on the remaining World Cup contenders, see our 2026 World Cup odds tracker.
The full USMNT World Cup roster
Mauricio Pochettino named his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup on May 27:
Goalkeepers (3): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)
Defenders (10): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Sergiño Dest (PSV), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders (4): Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders)
Attacking midfielders/wingers (6): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Weah (Marseille), Alejandro Zendejas (Club América)
Strikers (3): Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Related markets for the World Cup
The World Cup is expected to be the second-largest betting event in North America in 2026, behind the Super Bowl. It was also the first time sports bettors in California and Texas can legally access sports markets through prediction sites and trade on international soccer games.
You will find several World Cup prediction markets available beyond the USA’s outright odds:
- To reach a certain stage: You can bet on how far a team will go — Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, or the final.
- Golden Boot: A prediction on which player would finish as the top scorer. There were also markets on the Golden Ball (best player) and other individual awards.
- World Cup prop markets: You can also trade on World Cup props that traditional sports betting sites don’t carry — whether Trump attends the final, what phrases the announcers will say, and so on. If you’re looking for action beyond match outcomes, Polymarket has the widest selection and the most liquidity.
There are lots of markets on each World Cup game too. A popular option is to predict which team will advance to the next round, as that includes the potential for extra time and penalties. The other markets settle at the end of regulation time (90 minutes plus injury time). They include the three-way moneyline, total goals, spreads, both teams to score, goalscorer props, total corners, team props, and much more.