​The second of the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals is scheduled for Friday, July 10, with Belgium facing Spain at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Belgium advanced to the quarterfinals by routing the United States 4-1 in the round of 16. That victory, emotional as it was, came at a steep price: star midfielder Amadou Onana tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the World Cup, along with a substantial portion of Aston Villa’s 2026-27 Premier League season. Belgium last reached the semifinals in 2018, when they claimed third place.
In what many expect to be a memorable send-off for a World Cup icon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Spain’s victory over Belgium was sealed by the contributions of a relatively less famous player, Mikel Merino. Merino’s decisive performance helped Spain overcome their Iberian neighbor in the Round of 16. While Spain won the World Cup in 2010, they have not progressed beyond the round of 16 since then. Nonetheless, Spain earned the title of 2024 European champions, a feat that places this squad in position to emulate the dual triumphs achieved by the 2008 and 2010 Spain squads in capturing both the European Championship and the World Cup.
The winner of the Belgium-Spain quarterfinal will advance to face France in the semifinals. France advanced by defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal on Thursday, July 9. The Belgium-Spain victor will meet France in the semifinal on Tuesday, July 14. Kickoff for that semifinal is slated for 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
The semifinal match between the Belgium-Spain winner and France will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a venue also known during the tournament as Dallas Stadium. This game marks the ninth World Cup contest hosted at AT&T Stadium. The stadium, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, is frequently nicknamed “Jerry World” in reference to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the impressive scale of the facility. Before the World Cup, AT&T Stadium had hosted a variety of major soccer events, including numerous 2024 Copa América matches, the Concacaf Gold Cup, and the 2024 Concacaf Nations League final, among others. It has also hosted notable United States sports milestones, such as the 2015 College Football Playoff championship and the 2014 men’s college basketball Final Four, in addition to a Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLV, where the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For fans looking to watch, World Cup semifinal tickets are available for purchase. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY and discusses the potential paths for the Spain-Belgium winner, including possible semifinal opponents. The piece presents this information with an eye toward search optimization and broader reach, highlighting the likely contenders and scheduling details surrounding the next stage of the tournament.