Spain and Belgium advance as Ronaldo and US exit World Cup

Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time goal in Dallas pushed Spain past Portugal 1-0 and ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career. The result sent Spain on toward the quarterfinals after a tense knockout match that stayed scoreless until the first minute of second-half stoppage time, when Merino finally broke through.

The same day in Seattle, Belgium overwhelmed the United States 4-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken added another and Romelu Lukaku sealed the victory, a heavy loss that knocked the hosts out in the round of 16 on home soil. For the United States, the defeat carried an extra sting because the tournament was being played in its own country and because the crowd had come expecting a deeper run.

Across both cities, the knockout round felt less like a pair of separate matches than a single travelling civic event. Supporters from the United States, Belgium, Portugal and Spain filled Dallas and Seattle with flags, songs and competing bursts of noise, turning the stadiums into temporary global crossroads. The atmosphere made clear how much the tournament has changed the country’s sports landscape, with World Cup nights pulling together different communities, languages and loyalties in the same public space.

The scale of the competition has amplified that effect. FIFA says the 2026 World Cup is the first with 48 teams, 104 matches and three host countries, Canada, Mexico and the United States. The tournament opened on June 11 and runs through July 19, giving the host cities a five-week stretch of international traffic, travel and fan culture that has repeatedly redrawn the feel of match day.

Spain’s run has been built on control. Before facing Portugal, Luis de la Fuente’s side had put together four straight clean sheets and had not conceded a goal in the tournament, while Spain had not won a World Cup knockout match since 2010. Lamine Yamal captured the mood before the round of 16 when he said, “the World Cup starts now.” On this day, it did for Spain and Belgium, while Ronaldo and the United States were left heading home.