Spain Beats Belgium Despite First World Cup Loss

Despite conceding their first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spain defeated Belgium in the quarterfinals on July 11 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to advance to the semifinals and face France.

Spain's reigning world champions faced Belgium's European powerhouse in the quarterfinal matchup. Spain had narrowly beaten Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16 and had been the tournament's only unbeaten team until this match, while Belgium crushed co-host United States 4-1.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with starters Unai Simón, Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Guéhi, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Lamin Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Balde, and Mikel Oyarzabal. Belgium, under Rudy García, used the same 4-2-3-1 setup with Thibaut Courtois, Timothée Castagne, Nathon Ngoyo, Brandon McKenzie, Maxim De Cuyper, Hans Vanaken, Nicholas Raskin, Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, and Charles De Ketelaere in their starting eleven.

The first half began competitively before Spain took control and applied sustained pressure on Belgium. After halftime, Belgium gained possession, but in the 30th minute Spain's Dani Olmo fired a shot that the keeper couldn't hold, and Fabián Ruiz followed up to give Spain a 1-0 lead.

Belgium adjusted their approach with aerial balls, and in the 41st minute Charles De Ketelaere equalized 1-1 with a chance from a direct ball into the box, marking Spain's first goal conceded in the tournament.

The second half saw Spain dominating possession while Belgium mounted dangerous counterattacks, keeping the match tense throughout. In the 88th minute, Pau Cubarsi's long-range shot deflected off Belgium's goalkeeper to Miguel Merino, who converted the rebound to restore Spain's lead at 2-1 and secure their advancement.

Spain will face France in the semifinals on July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.