Spain vs Belgium | FIFA World Cup 2026 — Quarter-Finals| Preview and Predictions

Potential title contenders Spain will clash with fellow Europeans Belgium in the quarter-finals on 11th July at the Los Angeles Stadium in the USA. 

For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.

FIFA WC26 | QFs: ESP vs BEL| 12:30 IST, July 11, 2026

While Spain had faltered in the RO16 stage in the 2022 World Cup, losing to Morocco on penalties, Belgium hadn’t even gotten past the group stages. Compared to that, both teams have done well enough to reach the quarter-finals. However, Spain has not impressed as expected and need to start hitting their stride now if they want to pose a serious threat. Although they are still unbeaten, barring the 3-0 win against Austria in the RO16, Spain hasn’t produced a statement win against a tough opponent. They even drew their opening game to Cape Verde. 

As for Belgium, they had a tricky group phase and they too remained unbeaten but if they had not secured a big win in their last group game against New Zealand, they could have suffered the same fate as the last World Cup. Their golden generation players are now beyond their prime and despite a decent attacking line, Belgium really don’t have the squad that can compete with the heavyweights and challenge for the title.

La Roja came through the RO16 in a challenging encounter against Portugal which was a tense, scrappy affair with their opponent looking to sit back and defend. Neither side was able to create clear cut chances with the game slowly edging towards a goalless draw but Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino came clutch late in stoppage-time to give his side a hard-earned win. Predicted to be a blockbuster encounter, this match fizzled out with neither side choosing to be brave, attack from the front foot and take the game to the opposition. The expected goals (xG) for Spain were 1.69 as compared to a dismal 0.63 for Portugal. Spain had three big chances and six shots on target in this match. This was one of the most boring games from this World Cup –  a stark contrast to the exciting, nerve-wracking, edge-of-the-seat encounters that have regaled everyone so far. 

Belgium played against co-hosts USA in their RO16 fixture, amidst the Folarin Balogun saga. A game that should have been hyped up for the co-hosts competing against European giants, became all about Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension being rescinded. While it was a blatant foul that had led to his red card, the decision for suspension seemed utterly bizarre and unfair to their opponents. Amidst the media noise, Belgium went out, soaked the pressure early on and then dismantled the American defence, winning 4-1. Charles de Ketalaere scored a brace with Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also ending on the scoresheet. Malik Tilman was the lone scorer for the Americans. 

From an injury perspective, fortunately, Spain has a full squad at their disposal while the Red Devils will miss Amadou Onana who has unfortunately suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. 

Both teams have some incredible, match-winning players in their ranks. While Lamine Yamal hasn’t been consistent for Spain, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pedri and Marc Cucurella have been the standout players for them. For Belgium, Leandro Trossard and Jérémy Doku have provided the attacking threat. If we compare the two teams, Spain is definitely the stronger team with a superior squad but Belgium have shown great powers of recovery earlier against Senegal in the tournament and cannot be underestimated. 

Spain do hold an edge in this encounter and even though this could be another cagey affair, La Roja would go through by a narrow margin. 

Score Prediction: Spain 2-1 Belgium 

Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, California, USA