What was the Spain vs Belgium result?
Spain beat Belgium 2-1 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Los Angeles Stadium. Fabián Ruiz scored in the 30th minute, Charles De Ketelaere leveled in the 41st, and Mikel Merino won it for Spain in the 88th minute.
Spain Turned Territorial Control into a Semifinal Place
Spain controlled the match for long stretches, using width, circulation and repeated entries into Belgium’s half to keep the quarterfinal tilted toward Thibaut Courtois’ goal. The supplied match data records 67.8% possession for Spain, 665 passes and 17 shots, compared with Belgium’s 32.2%, 314 passes and five shots.
Fabián Ruiz gave Spain the lead after 30 minutes, but Belgium found a response before the interval through Charles De Ketelaere in the 41st minute. The equalizer changed the score without changing the broader pattern: Spain kept more of the ball, while Belgium defended compactly and looked for moments to break.
The decisive moment arrived late. Mikel Merino struck in the 88th minute to restore Spain’s lead and send them into the semifinals. FIFA’s tournament record confirms the 2-1 quarterfinal result at Los Angeles Stadium.
Spain vs Belgium World Cup 2026 Stats
The supplied match dataset shows Spain’s advantage in possession, passing volume, territory and chance creation. Belgium’s defensive workload is visible in the clearance and interception totals.
| Metric | Spain | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 67.8% | 32.2% |
| Passes | 665 | 314 |
| Passing accuracy | 89.9% | 77.7% |
| Passes in opposition half | 423 | 156 |
| Final-third passes | 271 | 73 |
| Final-third entries | 64 | 33 |
| Penalty-area entries | 35 | 16 |
| Shots | 17 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 8 | 2 |
| Key passes | 13 | 2 |
| Clearances | 15 | 33 |
| Interceptions | 4 | 10 |
| Recoveries | 49 | 39 |
Starting XIs and Match Data
Spain Starting XI
Unai Simón (5.1); Pedro Porro (6.6), Pau Cubarsí (6.6), Aymeric Laporte (6.3), Marc Cucurella (5.7); Rodri (7.6), Fabián Ruiz (7.1); Lamine Yamal (6.4), Dani Olmo (6.1), Álex Baena (5.8); Mikel Oyarzabal (6.4).
Belgium Starting XI
Thibaut Courtois (7.1); Maxim De Cuyper (4.7), Brandon Mechele (6.0), Nathan Ngoy (6.2), Timothy Castagne (6.1); Hans Vanaken (5.2), Nicolas Raskin (5.7); Leandro Trossard (5.8), Kevin De Bruyne (5.1), Jérémy Doku (5.9); Charles De Ketelaere (5.2).
Why Spain Eventually Broke Belgium
The decisive difference was not simply possession. Spain repeatedly turned possession into territory: 423 passes in Belgium’s half, 271 passes in the final third and 35 penalty-area entries in the supplied data. Belgium were therefore forced to defend too many phases too close to their own goal.
Belgium’s 33 clearances and 10 interceptions show how much defensive work they absorbed. That resistance kept the score level for most of the second half, but it also meant Belgium had little sustained possession from which to threaten Spain. Their five shots and two key passes underline the trade-off.
Merino’s winner was therefore less a sudden reversal than the final consequence of sustained pressure. Spain did not dominate every duel or every moment, but they controlled where the match was played and kept returning to Belgium’s defensive third until the game finally tilted their way.
How This Match Report Was Verified
- The final score, tournament stage, venue, date and official scorer sequence were checked against FIFA’s 2026 World Cup match records.
- The granular possession, passing, chance-creation, defending and player-rating figures are retained from the supplied TMJ match-data material.
- Where the supplied draft conflicted with FIFA on core match facts, FIFA’s tournament record was used.
- Internal TMJ links are limited to directly relevant World Cup coverage and archive pages.
Spain vs Belgium World Cup 2026
Who scored in Spain vs Belgium?
Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino scored for Spain. Charles De Ketelaere scored Belgium’s goal.
When was Spain vs Belgium played?
The quarterfinal was played on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Los Angeles Stadium.
What were the main Spain vs Belgium stats?
The supplied match data gives Spain 67.8% possession, 17 shots, eight shots on target and 665 passes. Belgium recorded 32.2% possession, five shots and 314 passes.
What happened next for Spain?
The 2-1 victory sent Spain into the World Cup semifinals, where they later beat France before defeating Argentina in the final.