Confident Belgium eyes Spain in World Cup 2026 quarter-finals after thrashing USA

Belgium's national football team is heading into their 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash against Spain with high confidence, buoyed by a commanding 4-1 victory over hosts USA in the previous round. The crucial match is scheduled to take place at the Los Angeles Stadium on Saturday.

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There are so many positive things we can take from this match, both as a team and individually. We will face Spain with full confidence.

The team's strong performance against the USA, particularly in the Round of 16 match held in Seattle, has fueled their optimism. Charles De Ketelaere emerged as the star of that game, netting two goals. He expressed that the positive takeaways from the match, both for the team and individually, will be carried into the encounter with Spain.

De Ketelaere, who scored his first World Cup goal in this tournament, described the brace as the best moment of his career. "It feels amazing to perform like this in the knockout stage. It's truly special. I'm so happy we advanced to the next round. This is definitely the best moment of my career so far," he stated, according to FIFA's official website.

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It feels amazing to perform like this in the knockout stage. This is truly special. I'm so happy we advanced to the next round. This is definitely the best moment of my career so far.

Coach Rudi Garcia's tactical decision to start De Ketelaere over Romelu Lukaku proved successful, as did fielding Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin in place of Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku. Belgium's captain, Youri Tielemans, lauded the squad's depth, emphasizing that every player selected by the coach performed exceptionally well. "All the players the coach chose did their job very well. It shows the quality of our squad. We want to keep performing well and win the next match, but we know Spain will be a very difficult opponent," Tielemans commented.

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All the players the coach chose did their job very well. It shows the quality of our squad. We want to keep performing well and win the next match, but we know Spain will be a very difficult opponent.