Unbeaten Spain will face a star-powered Belgium side in a highly anticipated FIFA World Cup quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium on Friday, with a place in the semifinals against France at stake. Spain enter the contest without conceding a goal in the tournament and are unbeaten in 36 consecutive competitive matches since March 2023, while Belgium have built an 18-match unbeaten run across all competitions.

Spain, the reigning European champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites, have established themselves as one of the competition’s strongest defensive teams. Midfielder Rodri has played a central role in controlling matches, while goalkeeper Unai Simón has been required to make only six saves across five World Cup appearances. La Roja reached the quarterfinals after defeating Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 through Mikel Merino’s late goal.

Belgium arrive with growing confidence after producing their best performance of the tournament in a 4-1 victory over co-hosts the United States. Coach Rudi Garcia said his team believe they can cause an upset and reach the semifinals despite Spain entering the match as favourites. The Red Devils can call upon experienced attacking players including Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard and Charles De Ketelaere.

Also Read: Youri Tielemans Credits Balogun Furore For Boosting Belgium's World Cup Campaign

Lukaku said Belgium would need to produce a near-perfect performance to overcome Spain, comparing the occasion to the country’s memorable 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Brazil at the 2018 World Cup. Belgium’s all-time leading scorer acknowledged Spain’s quality but insisted his team possess attacking strengths capable of causing problems for the European champions. However, Belgium will be without midfielder Amadou Onana after he suffered a knee injury this week.

Spain’s main concern has been converting their attacking dominance into goals consistently. Seven of their nine goals at the tournament came in comfortable victories over Saudi Arabia and Austria, while they managed only one goal against Portugal. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal has scored once in his first World Cup, but coach Luis De La Fuente and his teammates have praised his overall contribution after he returned from a hamstring injury suffered while playing for Barcelona in April.

The winner of Friday’s quarterfinal will face France in the semifinals in the Dallas area on Tuesday. Spain coach De La Fuente has refused to look beyond Belgium despite questions about a possible heavyweight meeting with the French, while Belgium remain confident their experienced generation can extend its World Cup campaign. With Spain’s unbeaten defence facing Belgium’s experienced attack, the SoFi Stadium clash is expected to be one of the tournament’s most closely watched quarterfinals.

Also Read: Belgium Stage Stunning Comeback To Beat Senegal And Set Up USA Clash