Spain meets Belgium in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals this Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. La Roja enters the match following a hard-fought victory against Portugal, aiming to secure a spot in the semifinals against France.

Team news and lineups

Spain must navigate this fixture without the injured Yeremi Pino and Nico Williams, while Víctor Muñoz remains a doubt. Lamine Yamal, whose fitness raised concerns before the tournament, is expected to play after recovering in time for Spain’s opener. Spain likely lines up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Simón; Porro, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal.

Belgium misses both Zeno Debast and Amadou Onana due to injury. The team’s primary uncertainty centers on Kevin De Bruyne, whose performance in this tournament has suffered due to an injury-plagued club season. Thibaut Courtois takes his place in goal. The expected Belgium starting XI features: Courtois; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Vanaken, Tielemans; Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku; De Ketelaere.

The De Bruyne problem Belgium cannot solve

Belgium’s tournament performance shows two distinct trends. When De Bruyne plays, the team struggles, having drawn their opening group matches against Iran and Egypt while lacking rhythm in the final third. Without him, the squad appears sharper, more compact, and more dangerous on the counterattack.

Belgium secured a comeback victory against Senegal with a 125th-minute winner and dominated the United States in the Round of 16 while De Bruyne was off the pitch. However, it seems unlikely that Belgium will bench him for a World Cup quarterfinal, forcing the team to balance these two conflicting identities.

In contrast, Spain has maintained consistency throughout the tournament. Barca Blaugranes notes that Belgium possesses too much talent to ignore, yet they predict a 2-1 victory for La Roja. England’s Michael Oliver serves as the referee, with kickoff at SoFi Stadium scheduled for 9pm CET.