First Lady Melania Trump is no fan of her husband’s signature campaign move, President Donald Trump revealed to reporters — even as that very dance became the centerpiece of a World Cup controversy that has drawn global attention.

The admission came amid a firestorm surrounding Belgium’s dismantling of the United States 4-1 in the round of 16 on July 6, 2026, at Seattle Stadium. After striker Romelu Lukaku buried Belgium’s fourth goal in second-half stoppage time, he and several teammates launched into an unmistakable rendition of the president’s fist-pumping, hip-swaying celebration — the move Trump made famous on the 2024 campaign trail to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”

The Belgian squad’s official X account drove the point home with a photo of Lukaku celebrating alongside defender Timothy Castagne and a two-word caption: “Overturn this.”

FIFA Reversal Sparks International Outcry

That sardonic message referenced a remarkable episode that unfolded days earlier. U.S. forward Folarin Balogun received a red card on July 1 during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. Trump then called International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino to request a review. On July 5, FIFA reversed Balogun’s red card and suspended the punishment, clearing him to play.

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the reversal. UEFA, the governing body of European football, went further, saying it was in “disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.” Belgium appealed to FIFA to reconsider, and FIFA denied that appeal outright.

Both Trump and Infantino pushed back against the suggestion that presidential pressure had influenced the outcome. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on July 6, Trump said he asked for a review because he did not believe it was a foul. Infantino released a statement the same day, stressing that FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee functions without outside interference — a standard he pledged to maintain — while confirming he had spoken with Trump, as he regularly does with various heads of state and officials.

Belgians Turn Victory Into Full-Throated Parody

Whatever the controversy surrounding the red card reversal, it did nothing to rattle Belgium on the pitch. The Belgians dominated from start to finish, with midfielder Hans Vanaken scoring their third goal and Lukaku adding the fourth. Midfielder Nicolas Raskin said afterward that recent off-field events had created a sense of injustice that drove the team’s performance.

The celebrations extended well beyond the pitch. Video circulated on social media showing the Belgium squad in the locker room, jumping on benches, waving shirts in the air and performing the Trump dance while listening to “Y.M.C.A.” — Trump’s favorite rally anthem — blasting in the background. Players including winger Jeremy Doku, midfielder Youri Tielemans and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois were part of a Belgian squad that had too much quality for a U.S. side coached by Mauricio Pochettino.

Belgium’s win sends them into the World Cup quarterfinals against Spain on Friday, July 10, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. For the Americans, the defeat marked the fourth consecutive World Cup in which the U.S. was eliminated at round 16.

A Dance That Even the First Lady Dislikes

The dance became one of the defining visual signatures of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Since then, world leaders and athletes around the globe have recreated it, sometimes in admiration and sometimes in unmistakable mockery.

Belgium’s players are hardly the first to weaponize the move as commentary. But perhaps the most surprising critic of the dance is someone much closer to the president. Trump himself told reporters that first lady Melania Trump is no fan of it — a detail that adds a domestic wrinkle to an already chaotic week of World Cup politics.

For U.S. soccer fans, the loss stings on multiple levels: a controversial red card reversal that drew global condemnation, a lopsided scoreline, and a Belgian squad that made sure the whole world knew exactly what they thought about the off-field drama — all set to the unmistakable opening notes of “Y.M.C.A.”