Spain vs Belgium: World Cup Clash in Inglewood

Spain’s heavyweight machine meets Belgium’s revived dream on Friday in Inglewood, with a place against France in Dallas on July 14 waiting at the end of it. The World Cup has hit the stage where every touch feels heavier, every mistake louder. Spain arrive as the tournament’s clearest favorite. Belgium arrive as the team that simply refuses to go away.

At SoFi Stadium, it’s possession royalty against a side that has survived chaos and turned it into belief.

Two paths, one collision

Nothing about these two runs has looked alike.

Spain’s campaign began with a jolt: a shock draw against Cabo Verde, where Vozinha turned into a one-man barricade and Luis de la Fuente’s side briefly looked blunt. That was also the only match Lamine Yamal didn’t start. Since he came into the XI, Spain have clicked into a different rhythm.

Mikel Oyarzabal has carried the scoring load with four goals so far. He hit a brace against Saudi Arabia, then added another in the round of 32 as Austria barely laid a glove on them. Uruguay were edged 1-0. Portugal, with all their midfield craft, were smothered by Spain’s control in a professional, almost cold 1-0 win.

Behind it all, Unai Simon has built a wall. He hasn’t conceded a single goal this World Cup, stretching his shutout streak to 609 minutes, a run that dates back to the round of 16 in 2022. Six straight clean sheets. Spain aren’t just winning; they’re suffocating teams.

Belgium have taken the scenic route.

They topped Group G with five points, but it was anything but straightforward. Draws against Egypt and Iran left them teetering before a decisive final-day meeting with New Zealand. Under pressure, they finally produced the statement they needed to reach the round of 32.

Then came Senegal, and with it, chaos. Belgium trailed 2-0 after 51 minutes, their World Cup hanging by a thread. Romelu Lukaku struck in the 86th minute, Youri Tielemans followed in the 89th, and a game that looked lost was suddenly alive. Deep into extra time, Tielemans buried a penalty in the 125th minute to complete an outrageous comeback and haul the Red Devils into the last 16.

Against the United States, Belgium looked like a different team. They dominated the ball, controlled the tempo, and killed the contest early. The nervous, fragile side from the group stage felt like a memory.

Now they run into Spain.

Garcia’s gambles and Spain’s depth

Rudi Garcia hasn’t been afraid to make big calls. Benching Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku against the United States was the sort of decision that can define a tournament for a coach. It worked. Belgium found balance, legs, and control.

He pays a price now. Amadou Onana, injured in that match, is out, removing a key physical presence in midfield at precisely the moment Belgium face a side that live off rhythm and control.

Spain have their own absence to manage. Nico Williams is unavailable, taking away one of their most dangerous wide outlets. Yet this is where their depth shows. De la Fuente can still roll out a front line featuring Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, and Oyarzabal without blinking.

With Pedri and Rodri anchoring the midfield, Spain look almost perfectly weighted. They can slow a game to walking pace or suddenly accelerate through the lines. Against Portugal, that control drained the life from the contest. Belgium know what’s coming; stopping it is another matter.

Yamal’s moment?

Lamine Yamal arrived at this World Cup under a cloud of concern over his fitness. He’s now back to full sharpness, but the explosion many expected has only flickered so far: one goal, against Saudi Arabia.

That might be about to change.

As the tournament tightens and space shrinks, Spain will lean more heavily on individual brilliance. Without Nico Williams stretching defenses on the opposite flank, Yamal’s role grows. His ability to beat a man, create angles where none seem to exist, and turn sterile dominance into chances is what can transform Spain from merely excellent into untouchable.

If the version of Yamal that terrorizes defenses at club level turns up, Belgium’s back line will be dragged into places they don’t want to go.

Belgium’s hope: Courtois and the old guard

For Belgium, the past and present collide in this tie. The last time these nations met was back in 2016, a 2-0 win for Spain. Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, and Kevin De Bruyne all played that day and are expected to feature again. On Spain’s side, not a single player from that match is even in this World Cup squad, a stark reminder of how ruthlessly international football turns over.

Garcia has squeezed more out of this generation than many expected. Resting De Bruyne against the United States should pay off now; the schedule tightens, legs grow heavier, and Belgium will need every ounce of his vision to pierce Spain’s structure.

But this is also a team that gives up chances. They’ve lived dangerously at times, and Spain are not Senegal or New Zealand. If Yamal finds his rhythm and Oyarzabal continues his scoring run, Belgium’s margin for error vanishes.

That’s why Courtois looms so large. He will almost certainly be busier than Simon. If Belgium are to survive, their goalkeeper has to deliver one of those nights that redefines a tournament.

Predicted lineups

Spain predicted XI:

• Unai Simon
• Marc Cucurella
• Aymeric Laporte
• Pau Cubarsi
• Pedro Porro
• Rodri
• Pedri
• Lamine Yamal
• Dani Olmo
• Alex Baena
• Mikel Oyarzabal

Belgium predicted XI:

• Thibaut Courtois
• Maxim De Cuyper
• Brandon Mechele
• Nathan Ngoy
• Timothy Castagne
• Youri Tielemans
• Hans Vanaken
• Leandro Trossard
• Kevin De Bruyne
• Jeremy Doku
• Charles De Ketelaere

Prediction: control versus chaos

Belgium have enough attacking talent to do what no one has done in over 600 minutes of World Cup football: beat Unai Simon. With De Bruyne threading passes, Doku running at defenders, and Lukaku’s presence in the box, Spain’s clean-sheet streak is under real threat.

The expectation is that it ends here.

But Spain will live with that if the trade-off is progression. Their grip on the ball, their ability to dictate the tempo, and the balance of their XI point in one direction. Belgium’s best chance lies in turning this into a wild game; Spain’s entire identity is built on refusing to let that happen.

Call it Spain 3, Belgium 1, with Yamal finally grabbing the spotlight with a goal and an assist.

If that unfolds under the California lights, the question won’t be whether Spain can win this World Cup. It will be who, if anyone, can stop them.