Los Angeles, July 10 (IANS) Spain and Belgium meet in an all-European World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, with Belgium facing the daunting task of becoming the first team to score against Spain in the tournament.

Both nations emerged from the group stage as table toppers, with La Roja then producing one of the standout performances of the Round of 32 to sweep aside Austria 3-0. Luis de la Fuente’s side won a tight Iberian derby with Portugal in the last 16 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Mikel Merino, booking Spain a third successive knockout match against European opposition.

Belgium, meanwhile, have enjoyed a topsy-turvy, goal-filled knockout stage so far. Seemingly down and out when losing 2-0 to Senegal in the Round of 32, the Red Devils rallied to snatch a famous 3-2 extra-time victory. Against co-hosts USA in the Round of 16, it was more straightforward as Charles De Ketelaere’s first-half double set Belgium on their way to a comfortable 4-1 win in Seattle.

The clash with Spain is Belgium’s third quarter-final in four World Cups and fourth overall; the Red Devils beat La Roja at this stage in 1986 and Brazil in 2018, sandwiching a loss to Argentina in 2014.

For Spain, the quarter-finals have not often been a happy hunting ground. They have only cleared the last eight twice, making it to the final group stage in 1950 and beating Paraguay on their way to lifting the trophy in South Africa 60 years later.

How to watch Spain vs Belgium live in India:

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Saturday, July 11, 12:30 AM IST

Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles.

Referee: Michael Oliver

Spain –

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Joan Garcia

Defenders: Pedro Porro, Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo

Midfielders: Rodrigo Hernandez, Martin Zubimendi, Pedri Gonzalez, Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Pablo Paez ‘Gavi’, Alex Baena

Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Dani Olmo, Victor Munoz, Nico Williams, Yeremy Pin

Belgium-

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders

Defenders: Timothy Castagne, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Brandon Mechele, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel

Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard

–IANS

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