Match Information
Fixture: Spain vs Belgium Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Quarter-finals Date: July 10, 2026 Kick-off Time: 19:00 UTC Stadium: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood Capacity: 70,240
Spain and Belgium will fight for a place in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as two of Europe's footballing heavyweights meet in a blockbuster quarterfinal. Spain enters the contest with momentum after a series of dominant performances, while Belgium will be hoping their experienced stars can rise to the occasion in one of the tournament's biggest matches.
Team News
Belgium will be short-handed in the clash against Spain due to the unavailability of defensive midfielder Amadou Onana due to the ACL injury sustained in the round of 16 against the USA. The player will miss the rest of the World Cup and the beginning of next season with Aston Villa.
Hans Vanaken is expected to replace Amadou Onana in the starting lineup, in the last match, he came to the pitch following Onana's injury and delivered 1 goal and assist.
Kevin De Bruyne is expected to be in the starting 11 after being benched for 90 minutes in the round of 16 match against the USA.
Spain is not facing major injury concerns except for the fitness issues of Nico Williams. The Basque winger is likely to appear from the bench in the final minutes of the game.
Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, and Llorente will fight for their place in the starting 11; however, no changes are expected in the starting lineup from the last match against Portugal in the round of 16.
Belgium Analysis
Belgium had a difficult journey in Group G with 1 win and 2 draws in the group stages, followed by a hard-fought victory against Senegal with a winner in the 125th minute of the game. In the round of 16 match against the USA, Rudi Garcia experimented with a team without Kevin De Bruyne, and it became successful, but he will be the key against Spain to dominate the middle of the pitch.
Charles De Ketelaere will start as the false 9 and play a crucial role against Spain with the responsibility of overloading the Spanish midfield to create numerical superiority.
Game management of Rudi Garcia has been one of the highlights throughout the tournament for Belgium; the French manager was able to turn multiple games to their side by bringing super subs to the pitch. Lukaku and Doku have been the most efficient weapons of Rudi Garcia from the bench.
Spain Analysis
Spain advances to the quarterfinals after a hard-fought victory against Iberian rivals Portugal. In the 91st minute of the game, La Fuente brought Mikel Merino and Ferran Torres to the team, which struggled to break the Portuguese defense led by Ruben Dias and Renato Veiga, and from Ferran's assist, Merino scored the winner.
Spain is yet to concede a goal in the tournament, which makes them the strongest defensive side in the tournament. Apart from defense, they have Rodri, Pedri, Olmo, and Fabián Ruiz in the midfield that could dominate any team in the world.
The major issue for Spain is lack of consistency in the final third. Mikel Oyarzabal has been at his best, but Lamine Yamal is not back to his finest level after the injury. Baena is handling the left flank with the help of fullback Marc Cucurella, but this leaves a huge space in behind that Belgium could utilize in the transitions.
Tactical Battle
According to the trend of this World Cup, Belgium is not likely to sit back and absorb the pressure from Spain; instead, they will try to dominate the game on possession and break the Spanish defense by applying consistent pressure on them. Substitutes of both teams will have a huge impact on the game.
Predicted Lineups
Spain : Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, and Cucurella; Rodri and Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, and Baena; Oyarzabal.
Belgium : Courtois, Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper, Vanaken, Tielemans, Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere
Score Prediction
Spain is likely to secure a 3-1 victory over Belgium and book their place in the World Cup semifinals, where France awaits.