2026 World Cup: Spain vs. Belgium, Probable Lineups
The Red Fury take on the Red Devils for a spot in the semifinals: the first of the two all-European quarterfinal matchups is between Spain and Belgium (the other is Norway vs. England), a matchup that pits not only two different playing philosophies against each other but also two challenging paths for both national teams, which have reached this stage of the tournament with some certainties but also quite a few doubts. The game kicks off at 9 p.m. Italian time, 12 p.m. local time, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. English referee Michael Oliver will officiate the match.
Spain has yet to lose a match, but—aside from the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia and the 3-0 victory over Austria—it has looked far less effective than the dominant team that swept the last European Championship. The 0-0 opening-match draw against Cape Verde, the narrow victory over the worst Uruguay team seen in recent years, and the win against Portugal secured just before the 90th minute have not fully convinced the experts, who expect more—especially from the young phenom Lamine Yamal, who has remained somewhat in the shadows so far (aside from a goal against Saudi Arabia).
Belgium, after a difficult start (a 1-1 draw with Egypt and a 0-0 draw with Iran in their first two matches), seemed to be back on track with a remarkable 5-1 win over New Zealand, but against Senegal they were nearly eliminated, before a miraculous comeback led by Lukaku and Tielemans (who scored twice) sealed a 3-2 victory in extra time—a result that would have been unthinkable even at the 85-minute mark, when the Africans were leading 2-0. Against the United States, however, Garcia’s men finally broke through, with a 4-1 victory that also put an end to the controversy surrounding the Balogun case.
Probable lineups
SPAIN (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; Oyarzabal. Head Coach: De la Fuente.
BELGIUM (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Theate, De Cuyper; Vanaken, Raskin; Lukebakio, Tielemans, Doku; De Ketelaere. Head Coach: Garcia.
