Full Time
Spain beat Belgium 2-1 to book a first World Cup semi-final since they won the whole thing in 2010, and it took a very late twist to get there. Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead in the first half, Charles De Ketelaere equalised just before the break, and it stayed level until stand-in Belgian keeper Senne Lammens spilled a Pau Cubarsí shot straight into the path of substitute Mikel Merino, who buried it in the 88th minute — his second different knockout match won off the bench, a World Cup first. It was a grim night for Belgium's goalkeepers generally: Thibaut Courtois, already without captain Youri Tielemans after a warm-up injury, went off in tears with a thigh problem in the 71st minute and had to watch the winner go in from the bench. No red cards, no extra time — Spain simply made the one mistake they were given count. They face France in Arlington on Tuesday for a place in the final; Belgium's tournament ends in the last eight.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Win this and you're one game from a World Cup final. Spain arrive unbeaten and, remarkably, still haven't conceded a single goal in the tournament — they're chasing the Euros-World Cup double and a defeat here would be the shock of the round. Belgium have the golden generation's last real shot at doing something with all that talent; lose, and it's another quarterfinal exit to file next to the others.
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2These two have only met seven times, and Belgium have never actually beaten Spain — six wins for Spain, one draw. Except once: the 1986 World Cup, also a quarterfinal, when Belgium somehow escaped 1-1 after extra time and won the shootout 5-4. Forty years on, same stage, same script needed.
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3Kevin De Bruyne is probably playing his last World Cup, and it still hasn't delivered the trophy his talent deserved. He's spent over a decade being one of the best passers on the planet without a major international medal to show for it — this quarterfinal is about as close to a last dance as it gets for Belgium's golden generation.
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4Belgium go into this without Amadou Onana, out with an ACL injury, which leaves a hole right in the middle of the pitch against a Spain side built to strangle exactly that space. Rodri, Pedri and Dani Olmo will try to squeeze the life out of the game; Belgium's whole plan hinges on quick counters before that midfield gets set.
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5Keep an eye on Mikel Merino — Spain's impact substitute has come off the bench to score late, match-deciding goals in this exact tournament already. Do it a third time in a quarterfinal and he starts looking less like a super-sub and more like Spain's secret weapon.
Team Talking Points
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1Belgium's World Cup ran deeper than most — all the way to the quarterfinals, before losing 2-1 to Spain in Los Angeles on July 10. Fabián Ruiz put Spain ahead, Charles De Ketelaere equalised, and Mikel Merino's 88th-minute strike sent Belgium home. A genuinely good tournament ended on the smallest of margins.
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2The high point was the Round of 16 — a 4-1 demolition of co-hosts USA, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice. Beating a home team in the last 16, in front of its own fans, is exactly the kind of result that makes a tournament memorable.
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3Belgium's so-called golden generation — De Bruyne, Lukaku and company — has been fading for a few cycles now, so a quarterfinal run built around a new attacking focal point is a genuinely reassuring sign rather than a letdown, even in defeat to the team that went on to win it all.
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4Charles De Ketelaere is the name to know — scored in the Round of 16 rout of the USA and again in the quarterfinal against Spain, making him Belgium's most consistent attacking threat across the whole tournament.
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5Losing to Spain, who then went all the way to the final, is a defeat nobody would complain about. Belgium leave with their best run in years and a genuine successor to their aging core already delivering on the biggest stage.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Belgium go out in the quarterfinals to Spain by a single late goal, after De Ketelaere had just dragged them level — as exits go, that's about as good as losing gets.
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Avoid saying
Don't call this Belgium's golden generation's last stand — De Ketelaere just showed there's a next one, so 'the end of an era' undersells what was actually one of Belgium's better tournaments in years.
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1Spain reached the final by beating two-time champions France 2-0 in the semi — goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro — and manager Luis de la Fuente's side have been unbeaten in 37 matches since a single loss to Colombia back in March 2024. That's not a hot streak, that's a different sport.
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2Nineteen-year-old Lamine Yamal is the story of this Spain team, and he marked final week with an Instagram post reading "Nuevayol, we're coming for you" — New York slang for the city hosting the final at MetLife Stadium. Confidence is not this squad's problem.
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3Spain have conceded exactly one goal in the whole tournament, the best defensive record of anyone left, going up against the team that's scored the most of anyone. It's genuinely being billed as the best attack in the competition against the best defence, which is the rare bit of tournament hype that's actually true.
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4Spain's Rodri called Messi "the greatest of all time" this week but was careful to add that Argentina "is much more than Messi" — which is either generous sportsmanship or a very polite way of saying Spain have done their homework on everyone else too.
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5This is only Spain's second-ever World Cup final; the first was in 2010, and they won it. There's no muscle memory of losing at this stage — mention that and you'll sound like you've actually followed them beyond this tournament.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Spain have conceded one goal all tournament and Yamal's out here posting 'we're coming for you' on Instagram — this is a team that's stopped pretending it isn't the best side in the competition.
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Avoid saying
"Spain always overthink it and go out on penalties" — that was true for about a decade and hasn't been since they won the Euros in 2024; say it now and you'll sound like you stopped watching Spain around 2012.