{"id":27886,"date":"2026-07-10T11:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/27886\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T11:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:50:15","slug":"belgium-vs-spain-plays-for-world-cup-semifinal-spot-vs-france-nbc-5-dallas-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/27886\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium vs Spain plays for World Cup semifinal spot vs France \u2013 NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals continue with Belgium-Spain in Los Angeles at 2 p.m. CST. Both teams have yet to lose in the competition.<\/p>\n

Spain, the reigning European champions, have yet to allow a goal in the tournament. Their goalkeeper Unai Sim\u00f3n has only had to make six saves across five matches. They’re led by teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, who plays for FC Barcelona, and former Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, of Manchester City. Spain has actually won 36 competitive matches since March 2023, including a win over Portugal on Monday. Belgium is unbeaten in 18 matches across all competitions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSpanish midfielder Rodri Hern\u00e1ndez earned the 2024 Ballon d’Or over fellow finalists Vinicius Junior of Brazil and Jude Bellingham of England.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Yamal only has one goal this tournament, but he’s often been guarded with two or three defenders, and his teammates and coaches say they\u2019re quite satisfied with his overall tournament performance, which began with limited playing time in the group matches while he returned from a hamstring injury incurred in April with Barcelona.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he hasn\u2019t contributed goals, but he brings all the attack,\u201d midfielder Gavi said. \u201cHe\u2019s incredible. I hope that now, if we win, hopefully in the semifinals or the final, too, if we win, then he scores goals so people understand what he does for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain won its only World Cup in 2010. They’ve only reached the last four twice: 1950 and 2010.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSpain and Portugal fans watched the game at Texas LIVE! on Monday. NBC 5’s David Goins is hanging out with fans and getting their reactions.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Belgium is headlined by some senior members of their ‘golden generation,’ like goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, who did not play against the U.S., and Romelu Lukaku, who scored against the U.S. Lukaku has as many career World Cup goals as Diego Maradona<\/a> (8).<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow we need to play the perfect game if we want to proceed,\u201d said Lukaku, Belgium\u2019s career goals leader. \u201cSpain is an excellent team. They\u2019ve been playing the same type of football since 2008. They\u2019re well prepared, but we have certain assets that can make life difficult for them. We love the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also have younger stars like Youri Thielemans and Jeremy Doku. <\/p>\n

Belgium is coming off a dominant 4-1 win over the USMNT. They’ve reached the quarterfinal four times before, three in the last four tournaments alone. They’ve never won a World Cup.<\/p>\n

Belgium lost midfielder Amadou Onana to a knee injury this week, forcing a tactical change to preserve its defensive structure. That change might simply be the return of De Bruyne, who likely didn\u2019t play against the U.S. to keep him in top condition for Friday\u2019s match.<\/p>\n

Spain and Belgium have met twice in World Cups before: a 1986 Belgium win in penalties and a 1990 2-1 Spain win.<\/p>\n

This is the last of 8 games at Los Angeles Stadium (SOFI).<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSoFi Stadium VP Juan Carrero and Clark Construction executive Rick Solomon broke down the months-long transformation that turned the Inglewood venue into a FIFA World Cup pitch, including natural grass grown 1,600 miles away in Washington and a playing field elevated higher than any NFL game ever played there.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The winner of this game will play France on Tuesday at 2 p.m. – the first semifinal and the last game at Dallas Stadium.<\/p>\n

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