For half an hour at SoFi Stadium, this had the feel of a match Spain were beginning to control. Then Belgium answered, and suddenly the game shifted from a test of authority into a test of nerve. At 1-1 at the break, Spain Belgium remains completely open, with a place in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals against France still on the line.
The first blow came from Ruiz in the 35th minute, a finish that rewarded Spain’s ability to get ahead in the game. But Belgium did not let the moment define the rest of the half. Five minutes later, De Ketelaere levelled it at 41', anticipating Cubarsì and beating Unai Simon with a header to restore balance before the interval.
A first half shaped by response, not control
The scoreline says the essentials: Spain led, Belgium recovered, and neither side could turn that moment into a decisive edge before the break. That is not a small detail in a knockout match. It tells us the margin between the two teams has been narrow enough for one setback to be absorbed almost immediately.
There is also a historical echo here. Belgium have already shown they can trouble Spain at World Cup level, most notably in Mexico 1986, when they went through on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes. Spain, meanwhile, beat Belgium 2-1 in the group stage at Italia '90. The present feels different, but the pattern is familiar: these meetings rarely become straightforward.
What the bracket adds
This is not just about a single half in Inglewood. The winner takes on France in the first semi-final of the tournament, and that gives every attacking sequence extra weight. France arrived here after Deschamps’ side beat Marocco, with Mbappè and Dembelè helping settle that tie, so Spain Belgium is not only a high-level quarter-final, but also the gateway to a far larger challenge.
Belgium’s presence at this stage also fits a broader tournament identity. They are a team accustomed to the last eight in the last four editions, and that background matters when the tension rises. A side that keeps getting to this point usually knows how to stay alive in it.
So the first half leaves us with a clear picture and an open question. Spain have already shown they can strike first, Belgium have already shown they can answer, and the match has the look of one that may still be decided by a single tactical adjustment, a single transition, or a single moment of quality after the interval. At 1-1, nothing has been settled. That is exactly what a quarter-final should feel like.
