#世界杯冠军预测 World Cup 11-day preview丨The duel between the two sides of the Iberian Peninsula is about to kick off. Spain’s head coach says Lamine Yamal’s form is rebounding; the team has conducted extra training for penalty kicks. Belgium’s head coach says they won’t simply focus on defending.

At 3:00 a.m. on July 11 Beijing time, the second quarterfinal of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup will be held at Los Angeles Stadium. Spain, a title contender, will take on “European Red Devils” Belgium. The winner will face the already-advanced France in the semifinals.
In this World Cup, Spain drew their opening match against Cape Verde. Afterwards, they won consecutive matches. To date, the team has remained unbeaten across five games and has not conceded a single goal—making them the only team in this World Cup to have kept a clean sheet. Including the previous World Cup, goalkeeper Unai Simón’s consecutive shutout streak has been extended to 609 minutes, setting a new World Cup record for the team.
At the pre-match press conference, head coach De la Fuente first responded to concerns about Yamal’s form from the outside world: “Yamal’s best performance is still to come.” He said that the young star, who is about to turn 19, has not yet shown his best level due to injuries that affected him in the late stage of last season, but as the tournament progresses his condition is gradually improving.
Regarding this match, De la Fuente emphasized that the team will focus only on Belgium and will not consider the semifinal matchup against France in advance: “As professional players and coaches, we only have this match in our minds right now. Belgium has many players who are accustomed to winning—it’s a very strong team. Advancing to the quarterfinals is by no means a coincidence, and we must not have any thoughts of underestimating them.”
De la Fuente also confirmed that the team has carried out specialized penalty-kick training in preparation for the harshness of knockout rounds. Several of the team’s penalty takers have already made contingency plans, and the squad is fully prepared for extra time and even a penalty shootout.
On the much-discussed “goalkeeper showdown,” he praised that Unai Simón and Courtois are both world-class goalkeepers. An outstanding goalkeeper is the foundation of a strong team. At the press conference, Belgium head coach Garcia acknowledged that Spain is the widely recognized favorite to advance, but made it clear the team will not adopt a turtle-shell defensive approach: “If we only think about passive defending, we will definitely be eliminated. We have our own talent and scoring ability—we will fight to the end with spirit and fighting will.”
Garcia confirmed that De Bruyne, who missed the previous match due to physical discomfort, can return for this game. However, Amadou Onana, who was injured in the last match, has been confirmed to be out for 7 to 8 months, meaning he will bid farewell to this World Cup early.
In a pre-match interview, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reminded his teammates: “Defending cannot only focus on Yamal’s side. Spain’s threat is overall. They also have players on the bench who can change the course of the match.”

Before the match, the Belgium national team’s official social media account posted photos and videos. Belgium’s King Philip visited the squad, had dinner with the players to cheer on the national team, and presented them with signed jerseys.