Spain Defeats Belgium 2-1 to Reach FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi-finals

Kathmandu. In the exciting second quarter-final match of FIFA World Cup 2026, Spain has entered the semi-finals by defeating Belgium by a score of 2-1. In the fiercely contested match held on Saturday at the Los Angeles Stadium, Spain achieved a historic victory by scoring the decisive goal in the final moments.

Belgium 2-1 Spain reaches semi-finals, meeting with France confirmed

With this victory, Spain has ended a 16-year drought of reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2010. Spain will now face the previous runner-up France in the semi-final match to be held on Wednesday as per Nepali time in Dallas, Texas.

After making history by winning the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, Spain had a very disappointing performance in the subsequent three editions. In the 2014 Brazil World Cup, as defending champions, Spain was eliminated after losing 1-5 to the Netherlands and 0-2 to Chile in the group stage.

Despite a 3-0 victory over Australia in the final match, Spain could not advance from the group stage. Similarly, in the 2018 Russia World Cup, although Spain advanced from the group stage, they were defeated by the host Russia 3-4 in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, despite starting with a spectacular 7-0 victory over Costa Rica, Spain was again eliminated by Morocco 0-3 on penalties in the Round of 16.

Spain's 16-year semi-final drought has finally been broken in 2026. In the group stage of this edition, Spain secured a place in the knockout stage by winning 4-0 against Saudi Arabia and 1-0 against Uruguay, and drawing 0-0 with Cape Verde. Earlier, in the Round of 32, Spain defeated Austria 3-0, marking their first advancement to the World Cup knockout stage since 2010, and then defeated Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 Iberian derby. With this historic victory against Belgium on Saturday, Spain has once again reached the final four as a contender for the World Cup title.