​Belgium was forced to substitute its goalkeeper in the second half of the World Cup quarterfinal against Spain on Friday, July 10, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. With the score tied 1-1, Thibaut Courtois appeared to injure his leg midway through the second half, dropping to the ground while clutching his left thigh. Belgian medical personnel quickly attended to the Real Madrid star on the field, and he was able to return to the pitch after the second-half hydration break. Nevertheless, Courtois signaled for a replacement, and Senne Lammens came on in the 71st minute.
Courtois sat on the Belgium bench emotionally, recognizing that his World Cup journey might have ended, regardless of whether the team could overturn the deficit against Spain. The goalkeeper’s departure added to Belgium’s growing injury concerns. Amadou Onana had already been ruled out of the tournament after tearing his ACL during Belgium’s round-of-16 victory over the United States. To make matters more challenging, Youri Tielemans, Belgium’s captain and central figure in midfield, suffered an injury during warm-ups ahead of the Spain match.
Lammens, who stepped onto the field for his third senior appearance for Belgium, entered the game with the scoreline still in the balance. The 24-year-old goalkeeper had accumulated 45 appearances for Manchester United during the 2025-26 season after joining early in the campaign from Royal Antwerp. His entrance at SoFi Stadium marked a notable moment in a match already filled with pressure for Belgium, who were pursuing a place in the semifinals.
The World Cup in 2026 represents the largest edition of the tournament to date, and USA TODAY has extensive coverage with reporters stationed in all 16 host cities across three countries to follow 48 teams as they compete for the trophy. Readers can subscribe to the World Cup: Extra Time newsletter for daily morning updates and join the paper’s WhatsApp channel to receive the latest developments directly, right in their texts. All matches in the United States are broadcast on Fox and FS1, with Telemundo providing Spanish-language coverage and Peacock offering streaming access throughout the event.
The tournament structure shifts once the knockout stage begins: the remaining 32 teams are placed into a single-elimination bracket, and the field is halved at each successive round until a champion is crowned. The only exception to this format is that the two semifinal losers will face each other in a third-place playoff prior to the final.
Upcoming fixtures included France vs. Paraguay in Philadelphia on July 4, Spain vs. Portugal in Arlington on July 6, Belgium vs. USA in Seattle on July 6, and continued matchups featuring July 9 and July 10 contests such as ESP vs. BEL in Inglewood. The winners from the Foxborough/Inglewood sites would advance to Arlington on July 14, with the Miami and Kansas City winners moving to Atlanta on July 15. The tournament is slated to culminate on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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