Spain hasn’t lost a game or even let in a single goal at this year’s World Cup. La Roja’s unbeaten streak is now 36 competitive matches, stretching all the way back to March 2023. You’d think that kind of dominance would intimidate anyone.
But Belgium’s not backing down. In fact, they’re riding their own wave of momentum heading into Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal.
Spain’s been Europe’s most reliable powerhouse for more than three years. Meanwhile, Belgium’s current run feels like it’s building to one last shot for their golden generation to really shine.
‘Everyone thinks we’re going home already, but we believe in ourselves,’ Belgium’s coach Rudi Garcia said through an interpreter on Thursday. ‘We believe we can pull off an upset, and we’ll do everything possible to reach the semifinals.’
This quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium really has some sizzle. Spain comes in as a favorite and the reigning European champ, but Belgium’s roster is stacked with expensive stars—even if they’ve never quite put it all together at a major tournament.
Whoever comes out on top will face France in Dallas on Tuesday. The buzz around Spain is so big that coach Luis De La Fuente got peppered with questions Thursday about a potential showdown with Les Bleus before they’ve even played Belgium.
But Belgium’s riding high. After thrashing co-host United States 4-1 in their best performance of the tournament, the Red Devils stretched their own unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions. Garcia and star striker Romelu Lukaku aren’t losing sleep about whether their celebrations annoyed the local crowd last time out.
‘I think, before this week, we had 12 million Belgian fans,’ Garcia joked. ‘Now we’ve got millions more from around the world. Who knows what the atmosphere will be like, but the crowd doesn’t score goals. We’re focused on what we can do.’
Spain’s back line just doesn’t give much away—Rodri keeps everything organized in the middle, and goalkeeper Unai Simon has only had to make six saves in five games. Still, Belgium can test any defense with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Lukaku, playmaker Leandro Trossard, and Charles De Ketelaere—who scored twice against the Americans.
Lukaku says this one feels a lot like their thrilling quarterfinal with Brazil eight years ago in Russia, when Belgium pulled off a 2-1 shock.
‘We’ll need to play a perfect match to keep going,’ said Lukaku, the country’s all-time leading scorer. ‘Spain is a top team, and they’ve played the same style since 2008. They’re always prepared, but we have assets that can give them trouble. We love this kind of challenge.’
Sure, Spain has talent all over, especially with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. But they haven’t been super sharp in front of goal, outside of routs over Saudi Arabia and Austria—that’s seven of their nine goals right there. They only edged Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16, thanks to Mikel Merino scoring deep in stoppage time.
‘We’ve been focused on defense, but don’t forget, we usually score plenty,’ said De La Fuente. ‘I think we’re taking more shots than anyone at this World Cup. If we were a little more clinical, we’d probably have the most goals too. Still, our attack keeps opponents pinned back.’
Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored twice in Spain’s last game at SoFi, helped them cruise past Austria 3-0.
‘We’ve built a really close-knit group,’ Oyarzabal said. ‘No matter what happens, or who’s on the field, we always find a way to respond. That unity is a big part of our success.’
As for Belgium, they’re dealing with a setback—midfielder Amadou Onana is out with a knee injury, which means some tactical tinkering to keep the midfield solid. In all likelihood, that means Kevin De Bruyne returns to the starting lineup after sitting out against the U.S. so he’d be fresh for Spain.
Predicted lineups
Spain (4-2-3-1): Simon (goalkeeper); Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Belgium (4-3-3): Courtois (goalkeeper); Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin, Vanaken; Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Trossard
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final match between Spain and Belgium will be broadcast LIVE on Zee’s new Unite8 Sports network in India, which includes Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD. Additionally, the Spain vs Belgium match will be available for live streaming on the Zee5 website and app.