What we're watching
• Spain vs. Belgium: It’s 1-1 at halftime after Fabián Ruiz scored the opener for Spain and Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium in the second quarterfinal match of World Cup 2026 underway in Southern California.
• Semifinals at stake: The teams are vying for a spot in the semifinals, but the Red Devils started without captain Youri Tielemans, who suffered an injury during warmup.
• France awaits: The winner of this match will play France, who earned a 2-0 victory against Morocco yesterday.
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Halftime and it's all knotted up
There’s the whistle from referee Michael Oliver and the teams are heading to the dressing rooms.
Well, I had been well and truly freed from my pre-match anxiety following Fabián Ruiz’s goal in the 30th minute, but then the header from Charles De Ketelaere against the run of play in the 41st brought me right back into the abyss of nerves.
The Belgian goal really breathed some life into the Red Devils, and they had some bright play for the following few minutes, but then things kind of settled back into the original vibes of the match with Spain controlling possession and probing Belgium’s defense over and over.
This does feel like a heavyweight title fight where the champion knocks down the contender early on, but the challenger comes back and shocks the champ with a good shot to say, “Hey, I’m still here, let’s do this.”
The good news for you all is we have a game on our hands; the bad news for me is we have a game on our hands.
I still think the winds favor a La Roja win, but perhaps this won’t be as simple as many expected.
Goal! De Ketelaere equalizes. Spain 1-Belgium 1
Belgium are level!
Just when you thought a second Spanish goal was on the cards, up go Belgium at the other end of the pitch and unexpectedly punish them.
The ball comes into the box from right back Timothy Castagne and forward Charles De Ketelaere gets across Pau Cubarsi brilliantly to head home past Unai Simón.
It’s the first goal Spain has conceded in this tournament.
Belgium clinging on
Rudi Garcia will be desperate for his side to go in at halftime only 1-0 down.
If that’s going to be the case then they’ll need to rely on the goalkeeping expertise of Thibaut Courtois to keep them in this game.
The Real Madrid star has already thwarted several Spanish attempts so far in this opening half with Spain getting in behind Belgium’s fullbacks with ease.
Concede a second goal and you fear it’s going to be a very long afternoon the Belgians.
Spain and Lamine Yamal click into gear
Lamine Yamal is in the mood now.
The goal seems to have fired Spain up and its star man is enjoying every minute.
He just skipped past two Belgian defenders with some lightning-quick footwork before being bundled over just outside the box.
Yamal took the resulting free kick but saw it well saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Goal! Spain 1-0 Belgium
A well-worked goal gives Spain a well-deserved lead.
It all came from the right-hand side with Lamine Yamal finding Pedro Porro down the line. The fullback then crossed the ball brilliantly to Dani Olmo.
The midfielder saw his low effort well saved by Thibaut Courtois but Fabián Ruiz was there to convert the rebound.
It was a big call to start Ruiz over Pedri in the Spanish midfield but it’s paid off so far.
Play has resumed after the hydration break
We’re back from the hydration break and both teams look ready to finish the half strong. The score is still 0-0 as both sides remain firm.
Spain's well in control at the first hydration break
We’ve hit the first hydration break and the first victims of the match are my fingernails. We truly did love you so. Hasta pronto, amigas mías.
As famed Spanish actor Javier Bardem – who is in attendance – can attest, it was a solid start to the match for Spain, which had much of the possession and pressure. A lot of movement when La Roja has the ball is a bit slower than Luis de la Fuente will have hoped for, but the team is firmly in control.
Rodri, the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or, is playing quite well in particular, directing play from the middle of the pitch and having a decent shot attempt in the 10th minute. I also personally like Dani Olmo a lot; he looks very awkward at times and doesn’t really look like he should be as good as he is. It’s kind of like drunken boxing martial arts.
Still, Spain has also had some great chances to go along with its domination of possession (64.1%), so all’s going according to plan for de la Fuente’s men.
You get the sense that Belgium is kind of on a timer, despite a couple of probing runs into the Spanish final third.
If the Red Devils don’t do anything before Spain finally converts its chances, well, that’s curtains. It’s been said by many that playing France is a firing squad while playing Spain is death by 1,000 cuts and that’s kind of what’s going on this game. La Roja is kicking the ball around and forcing Belgium to stay focused constantly, an incredibly tiring task which is likely to end up with a mistake – and that means a goal and likely the match.
Well, that’s what I hope anyways! Let’s watch the rest of this quarterfinal.
Belgium looking to hit Spain on the counterattack
Soak up Spanish pressure and hit them on the counterattack.
That’s Belgium strategy in the opening stages of this match.
As we thought may be the case, Jérémy Doku is providing the main outlet for Rudi Garcia’s side whenever they win the ball back in midfield.
But they don’t want to be too overeliant on the twinkle-toed winger.
Leandro Trossard and Kevin De Bruyne also provide genuine attacking threat so the emphasis will be on them to provide that cutting edge in the final third of the pitch.
Final touch missing for the Spanish attack so far
Spain has visited the Belgian box on several occasions so far but seems to be missing a little bit of quality when it really matters.
Álex Baena was the latest to fire a delightful pass into Dani Olmo who failed to control the ball as he should have. If he had managed to take a better touch, it would have been a great opportunity to make the breakthrough.
Lamine Yamal then goes close but can’t find the bottom corner with his effort from outside the box.
This has been a habit of Spain during this tournament. It creates so many promising situations but hasn’t been able to make the most of them – that’s certainly been the case so far outside Los Angeles.
Doku the dangerman for Belgium
If there’s one outlet where Belgium could hurt Spain then it’ll be down their left hand side in the form of winger Jérémy Doku.
The Manchester City star’s trickery and rapidity could trouble the rock-solid Spanish defense, which remember is yet to concede a goal at this tournament.
So far the 24-year-old has been contained by Spain’s right-back Pedro Porro with Belgium soaking up wave after wave of Spanish pressure.
Lamine Yamal being shutdown so far
It’s clear who Belgium thinks is the biggest threat from Spain.
Every time Lamine Yamal gets, or even looks like he’s about to receive the ball, he’s surrounded by at least two defenders. It means the youngster has had very little luck in the early exchanges but needs to remain calm – there will space eventually.
It promises to be a fascinating battle down Spain’s right-hand side.
Huge role for Vanaken and Raskin
Belgium had already suffered a blow ahead of this game with defensive midfielder Andre Onana being ruled out the tournament with an ACL injury picked up against USA.
The news just ahead of kickoff that Onana’s teammate, captain and partner in midfield Youri Tielemans is also out of this game now puts even more focus on Hans Vanaken and Nico Raskin to thwart Spain’s attacking flare.
They’ll have to play particular attention to Spain’s Dani Olmo, who loves to find pockets of space in the No.10 role.
The Spaniard’s already found a few pockets in between Belgium’s midfield and that’ll be of concern to coach Rudi Garcia.
And we're off!
The build-up is done. The anthems have played, the moment of silence for the deadly wildfires in Spain has been completed and the players are ready to go.
I am outrageously nervous, come join me on this anxiety-fueled ride. The whistle is blown and here we go!
The teams are on the field for their national anthems
La Roja and the Red Devils have taken the pitch for their respective national anthems. Emotions are high as the fans sing along to “La Marcha Real” and “La Brabançonne” in Los Angeles Stadium.
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans out of starting lineup
We’re just minutes away from kickoff, but a massive blow for Belgium.
Captain Youri Tielemans has been replaced in the starting lineup by Hans Vanaken at the last minute.
The 29-year-old sustained an injury during the warmup.
There’s no denying his influence will be sorely missed in this team.
When Rudi Garcia appointed him as Belgium’s new captain in September 2025, he pointed to the 29-year-old as being the calm link between the team’s generations.
On the one hand, the so-called “Golden Generation,” featuring Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois; on the other, “The New Generation,” featuring Nathan Ngoy, Nicolas Raskin and Charles De Ketelaere, among others.
Sitting in the heart of midfield, Tielemans is the beating heart of the team who can manage possession, take responsibility, deliver set-piece quality and operate as a late-game decision-maker.
His two goals to date at a World Cup couldn’t have been more vital.
First, he scored a header to bring Belgium on level terms with Senegal in an epic Round of 32 contest before then converting a decisive last-minute, extra-time penalty in the same game – coincidentally, the latest winning goal in World Cup history – to see the Red Devils into the last 16.
This man designs sports boots for football stars
Artist Jordan Dawson designs the boots for some of the biggest stars in football.
Jordan Dawson is an artist who designs cleats for pro-athletes, including some that will be worn at this year's World Cup – his designs range from anime to paintings which express the personalities of soccer's biggest stars.
How Belgium got to the quarterfinals
From underwhelming to dangerous underdog, Belgium’s tournament has very much been a tale of two sides.
Coach Rudi Garcia went into this tournament under intense scrutiny back home and his cause wasn’t initially helped as the team struggled through the group stages, drawing its opening two games to Egypt and Iran before finally clicking into gear with a 5-1 thumping of New Zealand.
The drama (and perhaps reversal of fortunes) for the Red Devils, though, really came in the round of 32.
Trailing 2-0 to Senegal and having been thoroughly outplayed for much of the game, Garcia’s side netted twice in the final four minutes to send the match into extra time.
The remarkable comeback was complete with captain Youri Tielemans netting a last-minute, extra-time penalty to set up a meeting with co-host USA in the last 16.
Garcia notably benched the star trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku and Romelu Lukaku for the encounter in Seattle, but it earned dividends as the squad comprehensively put Mauricio Pochettino’s side to the sword with a commanding 4-1 victory.
The Red Devils will head into the Spain match as the underdogs, but the successful tinkering of players, gaining of momentum and big game know-how means La Roja should underestimate them at their peril.
Spain captain Rodri leading by example
The No. 6 has become one of the important positions in the modern game, and just as Spain’s last World Cup-winning team was anchored by the masterful Sergio Busquets, Luis de la Fuente’s side has its own gem in the heart of midfield in Rodri.
The 30-year-old Manchester City man has not only been instrumental in La Roja’s run to the quarterfinal as captain but has also led by example through his performances.
He was named Player of the Match in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the previous round, as he led all players in touches (106), completed passes (87) and ball recoveries (7).
In its run to the quarterfinal, de la Fuente’s side has controlled 59% of possession – the most of any team – and Rodri has been crucial to La Roja’s dominance in that department.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, who was also named Player of the Tournament in Spain’s 2024 European Championship-winning campaign, suffered a severe ACL injury in September of that year that sidelined him for eight months.
And even upon his return, the City midfielder understandably struggled to hit the extraordinary heights he had prior to tearing his ACL.
But he now looks back to his brilliant best, and a World Cup winners’ medal would complete the set for Spain’s midfield maestro.
Yamal, the crown jewel among an embarrassment of riches for Spain
Among Spain’s 26-player World Cup squad, Luis de la Fuente has an embarrassment of riches to choose from.
But the crown jewel among them all is Lamine Yamal.
La Roja’s teenage superstar was an injury concern heading into the tournament, as a partially torn hamstring meant he didn’t feature in any of Spain’s World Cup warm-up matches.
Head coach de la Fuente then called upon the 18-year-old for the final 20 minutes against Cape Verde as La Roja was looking for a breakthrough, but seeing as it was his first appearance since April 22, even he was unable to overcome a heroic defensive display from the tournament debutant.
However, just 10 minutes into his first World Cup start, Yamal opened the scoring for Spain against Saudi Arabia, becoming only the second player aged 18 or younger – after Pelé in 1958 – to open the scoring in a World Cup match.
It remains his only goal of the tournament so far, but it was undoubtedly one of La Roja’s most important as it kickstarted their journey to this point.
This is a Spain team with a Ballon d’Or winner in Rodri, but Yamal is the talisman for de la Fuente’s side and will be key if it’s to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Paris is brimming with confidence
Is there any stopping Kylian Mbappé and France at the World Cup? Speaking to French fans in Paris, the answer is a resounding “no.”
However, that doesn’t stem from cockiness or complacency – the fans I spoke to yesterday before the Morocco match knew the North Africans had some chance of winning – but rather from the deep confidence Didier Deschamps’ historic tenure has instilled in the public.
And who can blame them? You can easily argue this team is better than four years ago, or even eight years ago when they won the World Cup. Mbappé is a better player (at least with the national team), Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé certainly is, and the addition of Michael Olise has created perhaps the most potent attack in the world.
Even after the sub-par performance against Paraguay – admittedly, the South Americans’ physicality and aggression contributed to that – the fans’ belief never wavered.
At a picturesque fanzone on the River Seine last night, the evening started somewhat quiet and civilized – likely due to some nerves – but a stirring rendition of “La Marseillaise” with the sun setting on the City of Light soon changed that.
Mbappé’s penalty miss in the first half left Les Bleus fans with their hands on their heads, as the strong Moroccan contingent celebrated wildly. But when the Real Madrid forward finally broke the deadlock in the second half with a trademark shuffle and curled effort, the fanzone erupted, half of which was on a boat that had its buoyancy limit tested to the max.
Watch Moroccan fans react to yesterday’s loss below:
