The internet is making sure the U.S. won’t exit the World Cup quietly, and Ryanair was the latest player to join the banter.
The American dream of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup was crushed in a 1-4 loss to Belgium, marking the team’s heaviest defeat since 1990.
As the pomp and fanfare quickly fizzled out, memes mocking the U.S. team came pouring in, with Ryanair unabashedly joining the fun.
Highlights
- The American dream of winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup was crushed in a 1-4 loss to Belgium.
- The defeat triggered a wave of memes, with Ryanair being the latest player to join the banter.
- The Irish airline has made a hobby out of insulting Americans since the 2026 World Cup began.
- They also trolled Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo last month.
The internet is making sure the U.S. won’t exit the World Cup quietly, and Ryanair was the latest player to join the banter
Image credits: Wayne Jackson/Pexels (not an actual photo)
The Irish airline has seemingly made a hobby out of insulting Americans since the World Cup began.
They were ready to rub salt on the wounds of the national team after its loss on Monday, July 6.
Following the match, Ryanair’s social media account reshared a tweet written by Greg that said, “I can’t think of a single thing Belgium is known for besides their waffles.”
Image credits: Ryanair
Ryanair reshared Greg’s tweet with two words of their own: “beating America.”
The retweet caught the attention of thousands, including Greg, who responded saying, “If you’re talking about the soccer game then sure they beat 11 random Americans but come talk to me when they’ve beat our whole country in something like a war.”
Many joked about how Greg wound up using the wrong flag, a German flag, instead of a Belgian one while sharing his tweet.
Ryanair had a fitting answer to an X user, who said, “I can’t think of a single thing Belgium is known for besides their waffles”
Image credits: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
“These uneducated US Americans using our German flag, while talking about Belgium.....” one said.
“Haha that's the German flag,” read a second comment. “Belgium besides being good at soccer have excellent beer and chocolate.”
Another quipped, “Belgium's greatest achievement today might be getting mistaken for Germany.”
Image credits: Ryanair
Image credits: Sarah Stier - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
This isn’t the first time Ryanair has trolled the U.S. in recent weeks.
The airline shared some savagery ahead of Team USA’s July 1 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Can't wait for the US to lose to a team they couldn't find on a map," the airline said on social media.
Another taunt ahead of the match said, “Dear America, reminder: it's football, not soccer.”
"Can't wait for the US to lose to a team they couldn't find on a map," the airline said in an earlier tweet
Image credits: Ryanair
The low-cost airline also had some quips saved for Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Last month, the football icon shared a tweet that said “Passo a passo,” which means step by step in Portuguese.
Ryanair reshared Ronaldo’s tweet with their own input: “He needs to passo more often.”
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Image credits: Ryanair
The trolling continued when the German team was knocked out of the tournament after losing to Paraguay in June.
At the time, Ryanair scrolled all the way back to an old tweet shared by the German content creator Finn Agostinelli, who said he was traveling to the U.S. to “let the World Cup adventure begin”
“Quick adventure,” the airline said with a repost of his tweet.
The low-cost airline is just as savage to its customers, too
Image credits: William Gevorg Urban/Pexels (not an actual photo)
When it comes to interactions with customers, Ryanair is just as unapologetically witty and cheeky.
In 2024, a flyer shared a post about booking a “window seat” while flying with the European airline, but not actually getting one
“Finally happened to us, we booked a window seat with no window. Such an incredible experience. Thanks, Ryanair,” the X user wrote alongside a picture of a man in a window seat with no window.
Image credits: Ryanair
The company addressed the complaint with its signature style intact.
“Staring at it won’t change it,” the airline said.
The Monday match, which ultimately eliminated Team USA, was embroiled in controvery even before the game began.
Belgian fans erupted with outrage after American striker Folarin Balogun was allowed to play.
Balogun had received a straight red card during the Team USA’s previous victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should have been an automatic one-match suspension for him, as per FIFA regulations.
Critics also blamed US President Donald Trump for lobbying to have FIFA reverse the decision, so that Balogun would be on the field for the knockout match.
The latest chain of events has sparked a frenzy among fans, friends, and frenemies of Team USA
Image credits: BuzzPatterson
Image credits: metaimago
Image credits: tnpnetwork_hq
Image credits: real_neely
Image credits: hollyoxcoburn
Image credits: con40g
Image credits: tiborn2hodl
Image credits: PabloDaleFuego
Image credits: libertyfor1