World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Quarter-final
Spainvs
Belgium
Friday, July 10, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. ET · Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood, CA
Watch: FOX · Telemundo
Prediction
Spain to advance. De la Fuente's side have not conceded a single goal all tournament — five clean sheets in five — and control matches through Rodri, Pedri and the outstanding Lamine Yamal. Belgium have the attacking talent to hurt anyone, and Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku return refreshed after being rested against the USA, but the tournament-ending ACL injury to Amadou Onana further thins an already leaky defence. The likeliest outcome is a controlled Spanish win, 2-1 or 1-0, though Belgium's front line means a clean sheet is no certainty.
The case for Spain
55% to winSpain have been the tournament's model of control: five games, five clean sheets, not a goal conceded, and a midfield of Rodri and Pedri that strangles the tempo out of opponents. Lamine Yamal has been the campaign's breakout star, drifting inside off the right to create and score, and de la Fuente's side beat Portugal 1-0 without ever looking flustered. Against a Belgium defence missing Onana and short on clean sheets, Spain's patience should eventually tell.
The case for Belgium
21% to winBelgium have the raw attacking quality to trouble anyone — Doku's dribbling, De Bruyne's passing, Trossard's movement and Charles De Ketelaere, who scored twice in the last 16 and is in red-hot form. Rudi Garcia's side blitzed the USA 4-1 and, with De Bruyne and Doku rested and refreshed, will back themselves to land the punches Spain's flawless defence has not yet had to absorb. Turn this into an open, transitional game and the meanest defence at the tournament finally gets tested.
Both cases written 2026-07-08, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 24% belongs to the draw.
Spain 4-2-3-14-3-3 BelgiumAt this Stage
Contrast, distilled. Spain have not conceded a single goal at this World Cup — five matches, five clean sheets — topping Group H (a goalless draw with Cabo Verde, then Saudi Arabia thrashed 4-0 and Uruguay edged) before beating Austria 3-0 and Portugal 1-0 in the knockouts. Belgium have taken the louder road: goals for fun and goals against, and a 4-1 win over the USA that cost them Amadou Onana to a season-ending knee injury. Rudi Garcia gets Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku back from a rest, and in Charles De Ketelaere he has a forward in red-hot form. It is the tournament's meanest defence against one of its liveliest attacks, under the SoFi canopy — and the winner takes a Dallas semi-final against France or Morocco.
Round of 16
Quarter-final
Semi-final
The briefing
Storylines
- The tournament's meanest defence meets one of its most dangerous attacks: Spain have not conceded a goal in five matches; Belgium have kept only one clean sheet.
- Belgium have lost Amadou Onana to a tournament-ending ACL injury suffered against the USA, but Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku return after being rested for that 4-1 win.
- Lamine Yamal has driven Spain's campaign; Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in Belgium's round-of-16 rout of the United States.
- The winner meets France or Morocco in a Dallas semi-final on 14 July.
The coaches
Luis de la Fuente Spain
Has Spain playing patient, possession-based football built on Rodri and Pedri; unbeaten and yet to concede a goal at this tournament.
Rudi Garcia Belgium
Sets Belgium up in a 4-3-3 around captain Youri Tielemans, leaning on De Bruyne, Doku and Trossard for goals; the defence has been the weak link.
Availability
| Amadou Onana | Out for the tournament — a torn ACL suffered in the 21st minute of the round-of-16 win over the USA | Goal / Yahoo Sports |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Available — rested for the USA rout and expected to return to the starting XI | Squawka / Goal |
| Jérémy Doku | Available — also rested against the USA and expected to start | Squawka / Goal |
| Dani Olmo | Available — no fresh injury or suspension concerns reported; Spain reach the last eight with a clean bill of health | Sports Mole / Squawka |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, stream free on Tubi, or on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock or the Telemundo app). (FOX Sports / Telemundo World Cup quarter-final TV schedule (7 Jul 2026), as of 2026-07-08)
Weather: SoFi Stadium's fixed canopy shields the pitch, so playing conditions are effectively controlled regardless of the mild Los Angeles weather outside. (Venue (fixed roof canopy), as of 2026-07-08)
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Inglewood, CA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.