Spain Eyes France After Beating Belgium in World Cup Quarterfinal
Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinal by beating Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinal, and will face defending champion France on July 14.
Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente praised his team's resilience and relentless development, believing they have what it takes to beat France in their upcoming match. Belgian coach Rudy García expressed pride in his players despite their elimination from the tournament.
In the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal on July 10, Spain narrowly defeated Belgium 2-1. Spain's goals came from Fabián Ruiz in the 30th minute and Mikel Merino in the 88th minute, while Belgium scored through Charles De Ketelaere in the 41st minute.
Spain advances to the semifinal to face defending champion France, with the match scheduled for July 14.
De la Fuente said: "This team continues to develop and the players never stop believing. I feel greatly honored to coach a team so determined and eager. From here, we will work hard to beat France. We have reason to believe we can overcome them."
García stated: "It's unfortunate we couldn't take the game to extra time, but we remain united as a team and won't blame anyone. I'm very proud of our players. We've shown that Belgium is one of the best teams in this World Cup. We could have gone even further."
