Twelve Weeks After the 4-1 Loss to Belgium, US Soccer Admits the Home World Cup Delivered Numbers, Not Progress

The final score still stings: 4-1 in favor of Belgium, on July 6 at Lumen Field in Seattle, with the USMNT eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup it hosted on home soil. Twelve weeks after that bitter afternoon, it's worth asking what actually came out of it. And the answer, from within US Soccer's own structure, isn't the one you'd expect.

Because reaching the round of 16 and going out like that, without really competing, wasn't better than what the team did at Qatar 2022. It didn't top 2014 either, or 2010. Of the last five World Cups, the only one it beats is the qualifying cycle before 2018, a tournament the United States didn't even reach. The team arrived on a hot streak, with performances that shone at times and showed the kind of grit needed to advance at others, backed by a crowd dressed in red, white and blue that packed the stadium. None of it mattered against a Belgium side that was simply much better.

On top of that, the match got wrapped up in controversy over the suspension handed to Folarin Balogun, sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, a ban that ended up hanging over the team's mood right before the decisive matchup.

Failure, or a hard stop?

Inside the federation, nobody's calling it a failure, but they are calling it a chance that slipped away. A source close to the organization put it bluntly: if the team had beaten Belgium, it would have walked into the quarterfinals with "free money" against Spain, no pressure, nothing to lose. Instead, the exit was about as bad as it gets, caught between the controversy over the red card and a blowout loss in which nobody on the team rose to the occasion.

US Soccer CEO JT Batson himself defended the handling of the Balogun case in an interview with ESPN: the federation always appeals red cards, he said, and he wouldn't change anything about the approach. Another voice inside the organization, though, believes it was handled poorly, to the point that the White House got involved in efforts with FIFA to try to overturn the suspension.

Beyond the result on the field, some point to an uncomfortable fact: since the historic fourth-place finish in 2002, the team hasn't really moved forward. Playing well in short bursts isn't the same as sustained progress, and that's exactly what's missing.

Numbers that do excite

Where there's no debate is the commercial impact. The match against Belgium drew 30 million viewers on Fox, the most watched soccer broadcast in US history until the tournament final topped it. According to the latest USSF assembly, fiscal year 2025 revenue came in at $264 million, with a projected $305 million for 2026. On top of that, there's an estimated $100 million coming from FIFA, though the international body won't close the books on the tournament until well into 2027.

"The energy is incredibly high. The success of this summer, on and off the field, has people believing the United States can be one of the great soccer nations in the world and that we have the ingredients to get there. We just need to put them together."JT Batson

The plan going forward is to overhaul youth soccer from the ground up, something that's already begun with closer coordination between the federation, US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer, aimed at cutting costs and friction for families. The bet is that if that works, it will translate into better national teams down the road.

In the meantime, keeping the momentum going right now is another story. Saturday's friendly against Peru ended in a comfortable 4-1 win, with a goal and standout play from young prospect Cavan Sullivan, and although tickets sold out, much of the crowd was Peruvian, and by the end there were visible gaps in the stands. That contrast could sharpen on October 3, when the team faces Mexico in Glendale, Arizona.

That brings up another touchy subject: the rivalry with "El Tri." "We need to start beating Mexico again, and right now that's a real downer," a federation source admitted. "If we keep losing to them, we're basically admitting we're second tier. Beating them, and beating them convincingly, that would actually help the momentum."

In the background is also the future of Mauricio Pochettino, who signed a new four-year contract in August despite being linked to several major European clubs. Asked about him, Batson chose to talk about enthusiasm rather than immediate results.

"A big part of his interest in this new project is being able to make an impact, obviously, on the first team, but also on the broader landscape of soccer in the United States, whether that's coaching development, youth programs, or leadership development within the US Soccer staff itself. There's so much they're excited to take on, and we're obviously excited that they are."JT Batson

The team is in transition, with 13 players with no international experience called up for the current FIFA window. Between that, the Nations League, the Gold Cup, and the still unconfirmed possibility of hosting the 2028 Copa America, the road to the next World Cup qualification is already underway, and with it the real test of whether this home World Cup left behind anything more than good numbers in the bank.