Robert Griffin III, a college football analyst and broadcaster for Fox Sports, voiced strong criticism of American fans following the U.S. men's national team's 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Griffin, who was vacationing in Hawaii, shared his views in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Griffin stated that he was "drinking my sorrows away" after the match and attributed the loss not only to Belgium being a superior team but also to a lack of unity among American supporters. "We weren’t a united front as fans," Griffin wrote. "We are supposed to be the United States of America not the divided states of America." He also asserted that any U.S. citizen not supporting the national team is a "traitor."
"I’m DEVASTATED," Griffin posted. "I’m in Hawaii right now drinking my sorrows away with a group of Australians because Belgium made us look like an AAU TEAM."
The former NFL quarterback expressed frustration with the team's performance, noting the significant buildup to the game, which included a call from President Trump to FIFA and a controversial decision to lift a red-card suspension for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun. Griffin described the U.S. team as looking disorganized and questioned specific moments in the match, such as the third goal conceded to Belgium. "We looked like a team that calls it soccer, not football," he said. "Again Congrats to Belgium, but WTF?"
The U.S. team struggled defensively throughout the match. American star forward Christian Pulisic had a limited impact before being substituted in the 59th minute due to an ankle injury sustained after a challenge with Belgium's Youri Tielemans. Balogun, the team's leading scorer, was cleared to play after FIFA overturned his suspension received in the previous round against Bosnia, but he could not prevent the 4-1 defeat.
Griffin had previously publicly supported FIFA's decision to lift Balogun's red card suspension, stating that "FIFA got it right." Griffin and his wife, Grete, who co-host the "Outta Pocket" podcast, attended several World Cup matches in Houston, where Griffin was seen passionately supporting the U.S. team.
