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The European champions, Spain, are heading towards a World Cup showdown with France, led by Kylian Mbappe, provided they defeat Belgium in the quarterfinals on Friday.

At the impressive SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Belgians must overcome the challenging task of penetrating a Spanish defense that has remained unbeaten in the competition.

If Spain emerges victorious, they will travel to Texas next Tuesday for an exciting semifinal match against France, which many analysts are already calling the final before the final.

First, Spain needs to score goals against a Belgium team that began the World Cup slowly but has since gained momentum as the tournament progressed.

The 4-1 defeat of the U.S. in the previous match highlighted how much the team led by Rudi Garcia has improved in a short period.

Spain, on the other hand, have not shown the attacking style of France, but they are adopting a possession-focused approach that led the nation to its sole World Cup victory in South Africa in 2010.

Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates following his team’s first goal in the World Cup Group H soccer game against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, on Sunday, June 21, 2026. Photo by AP

Lamine Yamal, a 19-year-old forward for Barcelona, is Spain’s top striker. However, he traveled to the U.S. following a late-season injury and has occasionally appeared on the fringes, managing only one goal in five matches.

Yamal, often expected to take over as the world’s top player from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, might be poised to score a goal.

“We are aware that the optimal form of him, the attacking Lamine, is something we have not yet witnessed in this World Cup. Not to the extent we are accustomed to,” said Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente.

With Yamal not participating, Mikel Oyarzabal has netted four goals, including two in the 3-0 loss to Austria during the last 32 at SoFi.

Spain has allowed only six shots on target across their five games to date.

Better and better

Belgium appeared dull and their stars seemed older as they started their group-stage campaign.

However, they proved their strength in an exhilarating loss to Senegal in the round of 32, where Youri Tielemans led his team back from a 2-0 deficit to secure a 3-2 win following the introduction of Romelu Lukaku as a game-changing substitute.

The Belgians subsequently defeated the United States in the round of 16, during a match that was overshadowed by President Donald Trump’s attempt to have the red card shown to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun in the previous round rescinded.

The move energized the Belgians, who humorously imitated Trump’s YMCA dance on the field.

The World Cup may mark the final chapter for the rest of Belgium’s celebrated Golden Generation, featuring Lukaku, former Premier League Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne, and Real Madrid’s tall goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium are at ease with their position as outsiders.

Coach Garcia stated, “Everyone is already discussing our departure. However, we believe we are capable of achieving it.”

We believe we have a chance, and we’ll do whatever it takes to reach the semifinals.

England’s attempt to reach the semi-finals again, following their quarter-final elimination four years back, faced another setback when central defender Marc Guehi is now uncertain for Saturday’s game against Norway due to a hamstring injury.

Manchester City’s defender is set to be evaluated on Friday, but with Jarell Quansah suspended for the quarter-final match in Miami following his red card against Mexico in the last round, coach Thomas Tuchel faces unexpected defensive challenges while trying to figure out how to contain Erling Haaland.

On Thursday, France transformed what was anticipated to be a close quarterfinal match against Morocco into a decisive 2-0 victory in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Mbappe netted his eighth goal in this World Cup and 20th in total, with Ousmane Dembele finishing the task.

The French captain was replaced and used an ice pack on his foot, but quickly reassured French supporters that it was not a major issue.