World Cup 2026: Spain vs Belgium, chapter III in the tournament finals

10.07.26 FT World Cup

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Belgium

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Spain and Belgium will clash this Friday at 7 p.m. GMT in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. This marks the third meeting between the two sides in the final stages of the tournament.

1986 World Cup Mexico (Quarter-finals)

The Spaniards and the Belgians faced off in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The Red Devils advanced after a dramatic penalty shootout (5-4) following a miss by Eloy Olaya.

Jan Ceulemans broke the deadlock in the 35th minute before Juan Señor gave La Roja hope with just five minutes left in regular time (85’).

1990 World Cup Italy (Group stage)

Spain got their revenge at the 1990 World Cup, securing a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Míchel (26') and Alberto Gorriz (38'), despite a strike from Patrick Vervoort (29').

Spain finished top of their group, while Belgium advanced in second place.

It’s also worth noting that Spain and Belgium have crossed paths several times in qualifiers, the most memorable being the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. On September 5, 2009, La Roja handed Eden Hazard and his teammates a heavy defeat (5-0). David Silva (41', 68'), David Villa (49', 85') and Gerard Piqué (50') were on target. Spain would go on to win the tournament that year.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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