Boston [US], July 10 : Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said on Thursday that Belgium would pose his team's "hardest" challenge so far in the FIFA World Cup 2026, with both teams set to meet in the quarter-final clash on Friday (local), as per Reuters.
Spain will be aiming to punch their ticket to the final four of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since their championship-winning run in 2010, while the 2018 bronze medal holders Belgium will be aiming to reach the semifinals, with Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and other veterans playing a crucial role leadership-wise.
Speaking ahead of the quarter-final clash, Luis de la Fuente described Belgium as Spain's toughest challenge of the tournament so far, praising their quality and winning mentality while expecting a difficult quarter-final encounter.
"Tomorrow's game will be the hardest that we've faced to this point. Belgium is a very powerful team. These are players who are used to winning. It's going to be a challenging match," he said as quoted by Reuters.
The winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium will take on France in the semi-final on July 14 in Dallas after Les Bleus defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday (local time), thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. However, the Spain coach said that his team is fully focused on overcoming Belgium.
"Trust me we are only thinking about Belgium tomorrow," he said.
Luis de la Fuente also emphasised that Spain's strength lies in its collective unity, saying every player has an important role and praising the commitment of those who contribute despite limited game time.
"The unity of the group is the most important thing. In this team, everyone counts. I have total confidence in my players, in their attitude and commitment. What makes our players great are those who play the fewest minutes," he said as quoted by a post on X by the Spanish Men's National Football Team.
Spain head into the quarter-final in formidable form. The reigning European champions are yet to concede a goal at the tournament, having kept a record six consecutive FIFA World Cup clean sheets.
After topping Group H, they eliminated Austria in the Round of 32 before edging past Portugal in the Round of 16 to reach the last eight.
Belgium, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals after a mixed group-stage campaign, drawing 1-1 with Egypt and playing out a goalless draw against Iran before securing a 5-1 win over New Zealand. They then edged past Senegal 3-2 in the Round of 32 and defeated co-hosts USA 4-1 in the Round of 16 to book their place in the last eight.