Result Spain 2 - 1 Belgium, Friday, 10 July 2026, World Cup Quarterfinals

Spain triumphed over Belgium with a score of 2-1 in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup held at Los Angeles Stadium on Friday, July 10, 2026.   Fabián Ruiz was the first to score for Spain, but Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere quickly leveled the match. In a thrilling finish, Mikel Merino netted the decisive goal late in the game. With this victory, Spain moved on to the Semifinals, where they will face France.

What a heartbreaking conclusion for Belgium. The late goal from Merino followed closely after Belgium's iconic goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had to leave the field due to an injury. His substitute, Senne Lammens, mishandled a straightforward save, leading to the decisive rebound. Belgium's dream has come to an end.

The match includes 5 Serie A players representing Belgium. Atalanta's forward Charles de Ketelaere scored a goal in the 41st minute and played the full match. Napoli's midfielder Kevin de Bruyne received a yellow card in the 85th minute and was substituted in the 86th minute by AC Milan's Saelemaekers. Napoli's forward Romelu Lukaku entered the game in the 60th minute, replacing Hans Vanaken. AC Milan's defender Koni de Winter was named as a substitute.



 

FIFA Ranking

Spain enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal against Belgium as the top-ranked team in the FIFA Men's World Ranking, holding the No. 1 spot. Belgium stands in 8th place globally.

 

How did they reach the Quarterfinals?

🇪🇸     Spain made it to the quarter-finals through a well-rounded team effort and strong structural discipline. They advanced to the final eight without allowing a single goal throughout the tournament. In the Round of 16, they achieved a thrilling 1–0 win over Portugal, thanks to a last-minute goal from Mikel Merino. Earlier in the tournament, they showcased their offensive strength with commanding victories against Saudi Arabia and Austria.

🇧🇪   Belgium reached the quarterfinals after a stunning comeback. Following a challenging group stage, they found their rhythm against New Zealand and secured vital wins. In their Round of 16 match, the Red Devils put on their best display of the tournament, triumphing over the co-hosts USA with a score of 4–1. This victory was driven by the attacking prowess and leadership of Kevin De Bruyne, along with the goal-scoring ability of Romelu Lukaku.

 

👉   Serie A players called up for  🇧🇪   the Belgium National team:

• AC Milan defender Koni de Winter


• Napoli midfielder Kevin de Bruyne


• Atalanta forward Charles de Ketelaere


• Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku


• AC Milan forward Alexis Saelemaekers

👉   No Serie A players called up for the Spain National team.

 

🇪🇸 Spain 1 – 0 Belgium 🇧🇪

⚽️ In the 30th minute, Fabián Ruiz scores. Porro links up with Yamal and delivers a cross into the center for Olmo, who takes a shot on the first touch but is met with a save from Courtois. The loose ball is first to be claimed by former Napoli player Fabián Ruiz, who, unmarked, gives Spain the lead.





 

🇪🇸 Spain 1 – 1 Belgium 🇧🇪

⚽️ In the 41st minute, Charles De Ketelaere scored. A lengthy play by Belgium developed on the right flank, where Timothy Castagne delivered a cross into the penalty area. The Atalanta forward, De Ketelaere, headed the ball to equalize the score.





 

🇪🇸 Spain 2 – 1 Belgium 🇧🇪

⚽️ In the 88th minute, Mikel Merino scores! Cubarsi pushes forward and takes a shot from 30 meters out. Lammens fails to hold onto the ball, and Merino is the first to react to the loose ball, putting the Spanish team back in the lead. Spain is heading to the semifinals!



 

 



 

Lamine Yamal, player of the match

 



 

The SoFi Stadium is ready for Spain vs Belgium



 

 

   Spain World Cup Squad:

• Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona).


• Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur).


• Midfielders: Pedri (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Mikel Merino (Spain).


• Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta de Vigo), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

   Belgium World Cup 2026 Squad: 

• Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Racing Strasbourg)


• Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting), Maxim de Cuyper (Brighton), Koni de Winter (AC Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt)


• Midfielders: Kevin de Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona)


• Forwards: Charles de Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).

 

Spain's official starting lineup against Belgium

Photo credit x.com/

 

Belgium's official starting lineup against Spain

Credit via x.com/BelRedDevils

 

Atalanta forward Charles de Ketelaere is ready to play for Belgium

 

Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne set for Belgium

 

 

GAMEFACE: 🔛. #ESPBEL pic.twitter.com/XssPzePEE1

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 10, 2026

 

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 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals

🇪🇸   Spain 2 - 1 Belgium    🇧🇪

Date: Friday, July 10, 2026.
Kicks off at 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT
Venue: SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, California

Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Ramon Abatti BRA
Reserve AR: Rafael Alves BRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Joe Dickerson USA
Standby Video Assistant Referee: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Antonio Garcia URU

⚽️   Goals:  30' Fabián Ruiz (S), 41' Charles De Ketelaere (B), 88' Mikel Merino (S)

🟨   Yellow Cards:

✅    Official lineups - Tabellino:

🇪🇸    Spain starting lineup: Unai Simón, Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Álex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal.

Substitutes: Eric García, Joan García, Alejandro Grimaldo, Víctor Muñoz, Gavi, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Yéremy Pino, Marc Pubill, Borja Iglesias, Marcos Llorente, Nico Williams, Martín Zubimendi, Ferran Torres, David Raya.

🇧🇪  Belgium starting lineup: Thibaut Courtois, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Youri Tielemans, Nicolas Raskin, Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere.

Substitutes: Thomas Meunier, Senne Lammens, Diego Moreira, Arthur Theate, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Saelemaekers, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Koni De Winter, Joaquin Seys, Dodi Lukébakio, Mike Penders.

 



 

Click the video to watch Spain 2 - 1 Belgium highlights on Friday, 10 July 2026.