Fears of 'Trump curse' rise after US suffer 4-1 defeat to Belgium at World Cup

Did Donald Trump cause the downfall of the US’s chance at winning the World Cup? If you believe in the ‘Trump Curse’, then it could be the reason the national team suffered their huge loss.

Theories online have been swirling that Trump is the sole reason the men’s football team were defeated by an embarrassing 4-1 during their Round of 16 match against Belgium.

Although it sounds farfetched, once you hear about the strange coincidences people on social media have pieced together, you won’t be able to deny the possibility that it’s true.

After hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and experiencing controversy over Trump’s intervention against Folarin Balogun’s match ban, things went downhill for the team.

It came right after FIFA president Gianni Infantino as asked by the POTUS to review the red card issued to Balogun during the Bosnia and Herzegovina win.

Donald Trump has been blamed for the World Cup loss (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

This allowed Balogun to play in the match that led to the eventual end of the US’s American dream of being world leaders in the sport.

And it’s not the first time Trump has been present for a team’s failure to win.

Trump has historically attended sports games throughout his business career and presidency, and unfortunately for the teams involved, it hasn’t gone too well.

The ‘Trump Curse’ was created to explain how his presence saw a number of games go in the favor of competing teams.

For example, his most recent appearance at a game was the New York Knicks' Game 3 on June 8, which saw them lose in the NBA Finals.

This has been their only defeat in the series.

Ultimately, this led to Knicks fans accusing Trump of putting a ‘curse’ on the team, and some even went as far as to perform a ‘cleanse’ on Madison Square Garden with sage sticks.

Guess what happened after the venue was cleansed? The Knicks won the series.

Fans say he has cursed US teams by supporting them (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

Back in November 2025, Trump attended a Washington Commanders game which saw the Detroit Lions win against the Commanders, 44-22, but went on to lose five of their last eight games and missed the playoffs.

Because of Trump’s attendance, former NFL wide receiver Kenny Stills called it the ‘Trump Curse’ online.

Then, Trump attended the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage's Black Course on Long Island, New York where the US was down 3-1 against Europe.

Trump told reporters, ‘we’ll get it done’ and was confident the US would win.

Guess what happened? Europe won the competition 15-13.

In January of this year, Indiana's 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship was also witnessed personally by Trump, who attended with his family.

Before the Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, Trump made a prediction before attending the event that the Kansas City Chiefs would beat the Philadelphia Eagles and take the cup...That also didn’t happen.

Online, Trump has been getting the heat since US’s loss in the World Cup, with one football fan even going as far as to claim on X that ‘everything Trump touches dies’.

After Belgium was seen celebrating their win on the pitch by doing a ‘Trump dance’, someone online pointed out: “Apparently, they haven’t heard about the Trump curse.”

Do you think it’s actually a thing, or coincidence?

UNILAD reached out to the White House for comment.