No previous meetings between these teams.
-
1
Mikel Oyarzabal4 - 2
Romelu Lukaku3 - 3Charles De Ketelaere2
- 4Leandro Trossard2
- 5Youri Tielemans2
- 6Álex Baena1
- 7Pedro Porro1
- 8Alexis Saelemaekers1
- 9Lamine Yamal1
- 10Mikel Merino1
- 1Mikel Oyarzabal19
- 2Kevin De Bruyne18
- 3Leandro Trossard17
- 4Lamine Yamal17
- 5Youri Tielemans11
- 6Ferran Torres10
- 7Maxim De Cuyper9
- 8Dani Olmo8
- 9Álex Baena8
- 10Dodi Lukébakio7
- 1Rodri14
- 2Timothy Castagne7
- 3Pedri6
- 4Pedro Porro6
- 5Lamine Yamal6
- 6Youri Tielemans6
- 7Marcos Llorente5
- 8Dani Olmo4
- 9Álex Baena4
- 10Charles De Ketelaere4
- 1Marc Cucurella2
- 2Leandro Trossard2
- 3Nicolas Raskin2
- 4Hans Vanaken2
- 5Ferran Torres1
- 6Dani Olmo1
- 7Álex Baena1
- 8Aymeric Laporte1
- 9Charles De Ketelaere1
- 10Romelu Lukaku1
- 1Leandro Trossard17
- 2Kevin De Bruyne10
- 3Pedri8
- 4Álex Baena8
- 5Pedro Porro8
- 6Youri Tielemans8
- 7Hans Vanaken8
- 8Rodri7
- 9Timothy Castagne7
- 10Dani Olmo6
- 1Rodri500
- 2Pau Cubarsí432
- 3Aymeric Laporte397
- 4Brandon Mechele339
- 5Pedri307
- 6Marc Cucurella236
- 7Youri Tielemans223
- 8Timothy Castagne175
- 9Nathan Ngoy169
- 10Maxim De Cuyper165
- 1Lamine Yamal17
- 2Leandro Trossard10
- 3Dodi Lukébakio8
- 4Jérémy Doku8
- 5Kevin De Bruyne7
- 6Pedri4
- 7Charles De Ketelaere4
- 8Ferran Torres3
- 9Dani Olmo3
- 10Matias Fernandez-Pardo2
- 1Aymeric Laporte9
- 2Pedri8
- 3Timothy Castagne8
- 4Charles De Ketelaere5
- 5Leandro Trossard5
- 6Nathan Ngoy5
- 7Maxim De Cuyper5
- 8Pedro Porro4
- 9Marc Cucurella4
- 10Arthur Theate3
SpainNo absentees
BelgiumNo absentees
Spain and Belgium meet in a blockbuster World Cup quarter-final on Friday. Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm (UK time) on Friday 10th July at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.
Spain edged past Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, with substitute Mikel Merino netting a stoppage-time winner to send La Roja into the last eight – and bring the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career. Belgium were more emphatic, routing the United States 4-1 in Seattle, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring a brace and Romelu Lukaku adding a late fourth. Spain arrive unbeaten and yet to concede a single goal at this tournament. Belgium arrive having scored 13 in five games and carrying the momentum of two consecutive knockout victories. One European giant will see their campaign end in Los Angeles on Friday.
Spain vs Belgium predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikel Oyarzabal to score anytime | 6/5 @ bet365 (45.5%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The Real Sociedad forward has four goals in five appearances so far this tournament and 17 in his last 16 international starts – a run bettered by no European player bar Erling Haaland over the same period. His 19% shot conversion rate in La Liga last season ranked in the 79th percentile among top-flight attackers, and he carries genuine big-game pedigree having scored the winner in the Euro 2024 final. Operating as Spain’s primary attacking outlet, Oyarzabal looks a standout anytime scorer pick against a Belgium side he’ll fancy getting chances against in Friday’s quarter-final. |
| Spain To Score Over 1.5 1st Half Goals | 7/2 @ BOYLE Sports (22.2%) | ⭐⭐ | Spain have scored nine goals and conceded none across five World Cup matches, showing a ruthless attacking edge – particularly in their 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, when three goals arrived inside the opening 25 minutes. Belgium’s defence, by contrast, has looked fragile throughout the tournament: they’ve managed just one clean sheet in five games, carry an expected goals against of 1.19 per match, and have trailed at half-time in 40% of their fixtures. Rudi Garcia’s side conceded before the break against both Senegal and the USA, and Spain’s front line – led by four-goal top scorer Oyarzabal – should relish the chance to exploit those first-half vulnerabilities. |
Odds correct at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams head into Spain vs Belgium
Spain
Spain have been the tournament’s most complete side – five games, nine goals scored, and not a single goal conceded across the entire competition. De la Fuente’s side have won each of their last four matches without the opposition finding the net, a defensive record that stands alone among the quarter-finalists. Merino’s stoppage-time header against Portugal sent the tournament favourite further along an unbeaten path that stretches back to the Nations League final last year.
The manner of the Portugal win raised questions, however. Spain created little of genuine quality across 90 minutes and required a late substitution to decide the tie. De la Fuente admitted after the final whistle that his side “did not play their best football” against Portugal. Belgium offer a completely different kind of challenge – direct, physical and loaded with attacking experience that Portugal simply could not match.
Yamal has returned to his best after managing fitness concerns earlier in the tournament. His performance against Portugal – direct, confident and producing Spain’s most dangerous moments – signals the 18-year-old is ready to deliver on the grandest stage. Oyarzabal remains the nations top scorer and Merino’s late contribution adds a further dimension to Spain’s attacking options from the bench. Los Angeles feels like a venue built for this Spain side.
Belgium
Belgium’s 4-1 win over the United States was their most complete performance of the tournament, combining De Ketelaere’s sharp movement with Lukaku’s predatory finishing and a controlled defensive display that kept the USA’s pressing game largely at bay. Rudi Garcia’s side showed in Seattle that they carry genuine quality across every area of the pitch – and have now scored 13 goals in five tournament matches.
De Ketelaere’s tournament has been one of the World Cup’s great individual stories. The Atalanta midfielder arrived with question marks over his international quality and leaves the Round of 16 with two goals to his name. His ability to arrive late into the penalty area and finish with precision gives Belgium an attacking threat that Spain’s backline has never faced before.
The concern for Garcia is Belgium’s ageing defensive spine. Courtois remains world class but is 33 years old. Mechele and Theate at centre-back faced significant questions against Senegal before recovering to handle the USA more comfortably. Yamal running at pace against Belgium’s backline represents the most significant individual mismatch of the quarter-finals. Garcia must find a solution on Friday that his predecessors never managed against opponents of this quality.
Spain team news
De la Fuente names an unchanged side after Merino’s heroics against Portugal. Unai Simón continues in goal behind a back four of Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella. That defensive unit has now kept five consecutive clean sheets – a World Cup record for Spain.
Rodri and Pedri continue as the midfield foundation, with Fabián Ruiz providing further quality alongside them. Yamal and Alex Baena provide the attacking width, with Dani Olmo operating centrally behind Oyarzabal. Merino is available from the bench after his match-winning impact against Portugal.
Belgium team news
Garcia faces one selection dilemma heading into Friday. Trossard was substituted during the USA game with what appeared to be a muscle complaint. His fitness ahead of the quarter-final is the most significant team news question for Belgium’s wide attacking options.
Courtois continues in goal. Castagne, Mechele, Theate and De Cuyper retain their defensive positions. Onana has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a knee problem. De Ketelaere leads the attack with Lukébakio on the right. Lukaku is expected to start from the bench once again, providing Belgium their most potent impact option when the game is in the balance. De Bruyne controls the creative midfield role regardless of any other changes.
Head-to-Head
Spain and Belgium have met twice at the World Cup, with the head-to-head record perfectly level. Belgium beat Spain on penalties in the 1986 quarter-finals – the same stage as Friday’s clash – before Spain won 2-1 in the 1990 group stage. Their most recent meeting was a 2-0 friendly win for Spain in 2016. Friday’s quarter-final in Los Angeles settles a rivalry that has been evenly matched across three decades of World Cup history.
Which side will advance to the semi-final?
Spain enter Friday carrying a flawless defensive sheet and the individual brilliance of Yamal at the peak of his powers. Belgium arrive with greater attacking firepower than any previous Spain opponent at this tournament – nine goals in five games compared to Spain’s seven. The winner faces Morocco or France in the semi-finals.
We’re backing Mikel Oyarzabal to be a deciding factor in this contest. 6/5 at bet365 for Oyarzabal to score anytime reflects his outstanding tournament form and his ability to find space even against the most organised defensive blocks.
For a bolder play, Spain to score over 1.5 first half goals at 7/2 at BOYLE Sports reflects his counter-attacking threat, Argentina’s aggressive defensive approach and the inevitability of cynical intervention when a player of his quality runs at World Cup defenders.
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