Belgium will take on Spain in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday, and they will have the difficult job of breaking through the European champions’ impenetrable defense for the first time at the 2026 competition.
On Monday, Luis de la Fuente’s team defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0, making history as the first team to earn six straight World Cup clean sheets.
Spain is playing the cautious, possession-based football that led them to victory in South Africa in 2010, but they haven’t displayed the offensive flair of France.
On paper, the team’s most potent attacker is the incredibly talented Lamine Yamal, but the teenager has only scored once in five games since arriving in the US while still recuperating from a late-season injury. Mikel Oyarzabal has compensated by scoring four goals, including twice in a 3-0 victory over Austria in the round of 32.
The harsh reality is that Spain just needs to score a few goals to win; in their five games thus far, they have given up just six shots on goal.
So far in the knockout stage, Belgium, led by the outstanding Youri Tielemans, has been a wild journey. Thanks to a double from Charles De Ketelaere in the first half, they first overcame Senegal 3-2 before defeating co-hosts the United States in the round of 16.
For the rest of the country’s so-called Golden Generation, which includes striker Romelu Lukaku and inventive midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, both of whom currently play for Napoli, the World Cup is perhaps their last chance.
Although Lukaku entered the game and scored, neither player started the 4-1 victory against the United States. Despite this, they are still formidable opponents, and Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid is among the best goalkeepers of his generation.
Lukaku now has eight World Cup goals, tied with Diego Maradona, Rudi Voller, and Rivaldo thanks to his three goals thus far in the competition. Leandro Trossard of Arsenal and Jeremy Doku, a winger for Manchester City, provide head coach Rudi Garcia with a goal threat.
Friday’s quarter-final against Spain in Los Angeles marks Belgium’s third appearance in the last eight across the past four World Cups, but they are still chasing a maiden place in the final.
Spain, despite their rich footballing pedigree, have advanced beyond the quarter-finals only twice — reaching the final group stage in 1950 before lifting their only World Cup title in South Africa six decades later.
