​Spain’s defense has dominated headlines at this World Cup, having not yielded a goal across five matches, and Luis de la Fuente’s side heads into Friday’s quarterfinal against Belgium with hopes of surviving and reaching the tournament’s final four. The Spaniards celebrated a stoppage-time winner from substitute Mikel Merino to edge Portugal in a recent dramatic round-of-16 encounter, keeping their run alive. goalkeeper Unai Simòn has not conceded in 609 minutes, a streak that extends back to the 2022 tournament and now stands as a new World Cup record. Defensively, 19-year-old Pau Cubarsí is emerging as one of the game’s brightest young talents and is being widely regarded as a future staple in Spain’s lineup.
De la Fuente faces some tough choices in attack, but it is likely the core of the team will resemble the side that defeated Portugal, with only minor adjustments possible. Here is how the European champions could line up for the clash with Belgium:
[Note: The article concludes with a prompt about Spain World Cup gear and a caption describing a general stadium view before the Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain in Dallas on July 6, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, captured by Kevin C. Cox of Getty Images. The piece is identified as originally appearing on USA TODAY under the title “Spain predicted lineup today: World Cup starting XI projection vs Belgium.”]