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Spain beats Belgium 2-1 to reach World Cup semi‑finals
Spain defeated Belgium 2‑1 in the World Cup 2026 quarter‑final at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, securing a place in the semi‑final against France. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute, Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium five minutes later, and substitute Mikel Merino netted the winner in the 43rd minute. Goalkeeper Unai Simón saw his record of 648 minutes without conceding broken as Belgium scored, ending Spain’s clean‑sheet run.
Both coaches made late changes: Spain’s Luis de la Fuente replaced Pedri with Fabian Ruiz, while Belgium’s Rudi Garcia had to replace injured Youri Tielemans with Hans Vanaken just before kickoff. Belgium also saw an early injury to Thibaut Courtois, who was later substituted for Senne Lammens.
Spain entered the match unbeaten and without having conceded a goal in the tournament, while Belgium reached the quarter‑final after a 4‑1 win over the United States. The victory puts La Roja on track for a possible second World Cup title.