By Kede Aihie
Spain booked their spot in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 win over Belgium at SoFi Stadium, extending their historic unbeaten run to 36 matches. The result sets up a heavyweight clash with France next Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Luis de la Fuente made a bold tactical call, starting Fabián Ruiz over Pedri, and it paid off in the 30th minute when Ruiz opened the scoring. Belgium responded just before half-time as Charles De Ketelaere headed home from a Timothy Castagne cross in the 41st minute. That was the first goal Spain had conceded in the entire tournament.
The game turned in the 71st minute when Belgium star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off with an injury. With the momentum shifting, substitute Mikel Merino pounced on a spilled save from backup keeper Senne Lammens in the 88th minute to tap in the winner for Spain.
This marks only the second time in Spain’s history they have reached a World Cup semi-final. For Belgium, it’s the end of the road. A golden generation led by Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Cotoi may have played their last World Cup together. They created moments and tested Spain, but couldn’t find the equalizer after going behind late.
Spain’s dominance in possession and composure in the first half set the tone, but Belgium’s fight and the late drama made it a classic knockout finish.
