Football fans' eyes are turning to the Los Angeles stadium, at ten in the evening today, Friday, Cairo time, where the Spanish and Belgian national teams collide in a fiery European confrontation within the quarter-final competitions of the 2026 World Cup.
The Spanish national team enters the match with high morale after overcoming Portugal in the round of 16 with a last-gasp goal scored by Mikel Merino in the first minute of stoppage time, securing "La Roja" a seat in the quarter-finals for the first time since winning the World Cup title in 2010.
The Spanish national team relies on its defensive solidity, after becoming the first team to keep a clean sheet in six consecutive matches in World Cup history.
Offensively, the Spaniards are counting on Lamine Yamal, despite not having fully regained his form after the injury, alongside Mikel Oyarzabal who is enjoying his best period after scoring four goals in the tournament, including a brace against Austria.
In contrast, the Belgian national team has regained its luster by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2018 edition, and aspires to continue the journey led by Leandro Trossard and Romelu Lukaku, relying on the experience of its players and their desire to repeat the historic achievement achieved by the "Red Devils" eight years ago when they finished the tournament in third place.
The match carries a vengeful character for Belgium against the Spanish national team that has imposed its superiority in recent encounters, having achieved five consecutive victories since 2004, the last of which was a 2-0 friendly win in 2016, while the last official match between the two teams dates back to the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
The match appears open to all possibilities given the close level, as Spain bets on defensive organization and offensive effectiveness, while the Belgian national team hopes to break the Spanish jinx and snatch a ticket to the semi-finals.
