Spain v Belgium, 10 July 2026

Score2-1 to Spain
RefereeMichael Oliver
CompetitionFIFA World Cup Quarter-final
VenueSoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA
Attendance70,492

View Spain v Belgium head to head

Kick-off: 12.00pm local . Head to Head Played: 23 Spain won: 13 Drawn: 5 Belgium won: 5 Spain scored: 47 Belgium scored: 20 . FIFA World Ranking: Spain 2nd, Belgium 9th . This was the second time that they had met in a Quarter-final at a FIFA World Cup tournament: previously Belgium won a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw in Puebla, Mexico in 1986.

2 Spain

Manager: Luis de la Fuente

1 Belgium

Manager: Rudi Garcia

Goals:

Fabián Ruiz 30 G
Mikel Merino 88 G

Goals:

Charles De Ketelaere 41 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Unai Simón
Defender Aymeric Laporte
Defender Pau Cubarsí
Defender/Midfielder Marc Cucurella
Defender/Midfielder Pedro Porro
Defender/Midfielder Rodri (captain)
Midfielder Alex Baena
Midfielder Fabián Ruiz
Midfielder/Forward Dani Olmo
Midfielder/Forward Mikel Oyarzabal
Midfielder/Forward Lamine Yamal

Starting lineup:

Thibaut Courtois Goalkeeper
Timothy Castagne Defender
Brandon Mechele Defender
Nathan Ngoy Defender
Maxim De Cuyper Defender/Midfielder
Charles De Ketelaere Midfielder
Nicolas Raskin Midfielder
Leandro Trossard Midfielder
Hans Vanaken Midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne Midfielder/Forward (captain)
Jérémy Doku Midfielder/Forward

Substitutions:

Ferran Torres for Alex Baena 55
Pedri for Fabián Ruiz 55
Nico Williams for Mikel Oyarzabal 79
Mikel Merino for Dani Olmo 86

Substitutions:

Romelu Lukaku for Hans Vanaken 60
Joaquin Seys for Maxim De Cuyper 60
Axel Witsel for Leandro Trossard 60
Senne Lammens for Thibaut Courtois 71
Alexis Saelemaekers for Kevin De Bruyne 86

Cards:

Pau Cubarsí 43 Y
Aymeric Laporte 90+3 Y

Cards:

Kevin De Bruyne 85 Y
Axel Witsel 90+5 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper David Raya
Goalkeeper Joan García
Defender Álex Grimaldo
Defender Eric García
Defender Marc Pubil
Defender/Midfielder Marcos Llorente
Midfielder Gavi
Midfielder Martín Zubimendi
Midfielder Pedri
Midfielder/Forward Ferran Torres
Midfielder/Forward Mikel Merino
Midfielder/Forward Víctor Muñoz
Midfielder/Forward Nico Williams
Midfielder/Forward Yeremy Pino
Forward Borja Iglesias

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens
Goalkeeper Mike Penders
Defender Koni De Winter
Defender Joaquin Seys
Defender Arthur Theate
Defender/Midfielder Thomas Meunier
Midfielder Dodi Lukebakio
Midfielder Alexis Saelemaekers
Midfielder Axel Witsel
Forward Diego Moreira
Forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Forward Romelu Lukaku

Comments:

Spain had now won two of their six Quarter-finals at FIFA World Cup tournaments: previously in 2010 when they went on to lift the trophy. . La Roja had now become the last of the 48 nations at this FIFA World Cup finals to concede a goal. . In the knockout phase of a FIFA World Cup tournament, Mikel Merino had now become the first-ever player to score the winning goal in two games after coming on as a substitute, and also the first-ever player to score the winning goal in two games in the 85th minute or later.

Comments:

Belgium had now won two of their four Quarter-finals at FIFA World Cup tournaments: versus Spain in 1986 and Brazil in 2018. . The Red Devils had now lost three of their last 16 games at FIFA World Cup finals (won ten). . They scored 14 goals in this FIFA World Cup tournament: they only scored more in 2018 (16). . Youri Tielemans was originally named in the starting line-up before suffering a hamstring injury in the pre-match warm-up. Hans Vanaken was promoted to the starting XI, so Belgium named 12 of a possible 15 substitutes. Amadou Onana (ACL) and Zeno Debast (leg) were unavailable due to injury.

2 Spain

Manager: Luis de la Fuente

Goals:

Fabián Ruiz 30 G
Mikel Merino 88 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Unai Simón
Defender Aymeric Laporte
Defender Pau Cubarsí
Defender/Midfielder Marc Cucurella
Defender/Midfielder Pedro Porro
Defender/Midfielder Rodri (captain)
Midfielder Alex Baena
Midfielder Fabián Ruiz
Midfielder/Forward Dani Olmo
Midfielder/Forward Mikel Oyarzabal
Midfielder/Forward Lamine Yamal

Substitutions:

Ferran Torres for Alex Baena 55
Pedri for Fabián Ruiz 55
Nico Williams for Mikel Oyarzabal 79
Mikel Merino for Dani Olmo 86

Cards:

Pau Cubarsí 43 Y
Aymeric Laporte 90+3 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper David Raya
Goalkeeper Joan García
Defender Álex Grimaldo
Defender Eric García
Defender Marc Pubil
Defender/Midfielder Marcos Llorente
Midfielder Gavi
Midfielder Martín Zubimendi
Midfielder Pedri
Midfielder/Forward Ferran Torres
Midfielder/Forward Mikel Merino
Midfielder/Forward Víctor Muñoz
Midfielder/Forward Nico Williams
Midfielder/Forward Yeremy Pino
Forward Borja Iglesias

Comments:

Spain had now won two of their six Quarter-finals at FIFA World Cup tournaments: previously in 2010 when they went on to lift the trophy. . La Roja had now become the last of the 48 nations at this FIFA World Cup finals to concede a goal. . In the knockout phase of a FIFA World Cup tournament, Mikel Merino had now become the first-ever player to score the winning goal in two games after coming on as a substitute, and also the first-ever player to score the winning goal in two games in the 85th minute or later.

1 Belgium

Manager: Rudi Garcia

Goals:

Charles De Ketelaere 41 G

Starting lineup:

Thibaut Courtois Goalkeeper
Timothy Castagne Defender
Brandon Mechele Defender
Nathan Ngoy Defender
Maxim De Cuyper Defender/Midfielder
Charles De Ketelaere Midfielder
Nicolas Raskin Midfielder
Leandro Trossard Midfielder
Hans Vanaken Midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne Midfielder/Forward (captain)
Jérémy Doku Midfielder/Forward

Substitutions:

Romelu Lukaku for Hans Vanaken 60
Joaquin Seys for Maxim De Cuyper 60
Axel Witsel for Leandro Trossard 60
Senne Lammens for Thibaut Courtois 71
Alexis Saelemaekers for Kevin De Bruyne 86

Cards:

Kevin De Bruyne 85 Y
Axel Witsel 90+5 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens
Goalkeeper Mike Penders
Defender Koni De Winter
Defender Joaquin Seys
Defender Arthur Theate
Defender/Midfielder Thomas Meunier
Midfielder Dodi Lukebakio
Midfielder Alexis Saelemaekers
Midfielder Axel Witsel
Forward Diego Moreira
Forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Forward Romelu Lukaku

Comments:

Belgium had now won two of their four Quarter-finals at FIFA World Cup tournaments: versus Spain in 1986 and Brazil in 2018. . The Red Devils had now lost three of their last 16 games at FIFA World Cup finals (won ten). . They scored 14 goals in this FIFA World Cup tournament: they only scored more in 2018 (16). . Youri Tielemans was originally named in the starting line-up before suffering a hamstring injury in the pre-match warm-up. Hans Vanaken was promoted to the starting XI, so Belgium named 12 of a possible 15 substitutes. Amadou Onana (ACL) and Zeno Debast (leg) were unavailable due to injury.