Spain Seek Final Four Place
Spain and Belgium clash in Los Angeles on Friday evening with a place in the semi-finals on the line. The winners will move on to face either France or Morocco, while defeat will end hopes of lifting the trophy in North America.
Match Preview
Spain have quietly developed into one of the tournament favourites and arrive in California still waiting to concede their first goal of the competition.
Luis de la Fuente’s side topped Group H before easing past Austria and then edging out neighbours Portugal in one of the standout ties of the last 16. Mikel Merino proved the difference against the Seleção, earning revenge for last summer’s NL final defeat and extending Spain’s impressive record under their current manager.
Defensive organisation has become the foundation of their success. Spain have now gone six consecutive matches in the tournament without conceding, while De la Fuente has won every knockout match he has overseen at major tournaments as national team coach.
That combination of control, possession and defensive stability makes La Roja one of the hardest teams left in the competition to beat.
Belgium’s route to the quarter-finals has been considerably more dramatic. After topping Group G without entirely convincing, the Red Devils survived a major scare against Senegal before Youri Tielemans struck deep into stoppage time to avoid extra time and keep their campaign alive.
Rudi Garcia’s bold decisions then paid off spectacularly in the next round. Leaving Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku out of the starting lineup against the United States looked risky beforehand, but Belgium produced arguably their best display of the tournament in a convincing 4-1 victory.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken added another and Lukaku continued his remarkable scoring record from the bench. Belgium are now unbeaten in 18 matches and appear to have rediscovered the belief that many feared had disappeared following their disappointing campaign in Qatar four years ago.
History, however, favours Spain. La Roja have won nine of the last 11 meetings between the nations and have generally enjoyed this fixture for more than four decades.
Team News
Spain are expected to remain largely unchanged following the victory over Portugal. The main selection debate surrounds midfield, where Merino is pushing for a starting place after scoring the winning goal in the previous round. Fabian Ruiz and Marcos Llorente are also competing for places.
Nico Williams remains short of full fitness and is likely to start on the bench once again, while Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal are expected to continue in attack.
Belgium could welcome De Bruyne back into the starting XI after resting the captain against the United States.
Amadou Onana will miss the remainder of the tournament after suffering an ACL injury, creating a vacancy in midfield that could be filled by Vanaken or Nicolas Raskin. Debast remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a leg injury, meaning Garcia is unlikely to alter his defensive line.
Odds and Tips
Spain have looked more balanced throughout the tournament and possess the defensive record to frustrate Belgium’s attacking threats.
The Red Devils are enjoying their best spell for several years and have goals throughout the squad, but Spain’s ability to control matches through possession may ultimately prove decisive.
Tip: Spain to win at 1.65.
Don’t forget that we also have Early Payout on this match, which you can read more about here.
Odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last Updated: 09.07.2026
