Belgium face Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, looking for their ticket to the semifinals. While the confirmed lineups had indicated Youri Tielemans would start, he was injured during the pre-match warm-up, and Hans Vanaken will start in his place.
Positive details emerge for Belgium as Hans Vanaken has replaced him in the midfield, in what is a huge blow to the side that overcame the USMNT in the previous round. That round of 16 match ended in a 4-1 rout fueled by controversy over a Folarin Balogun red card ban suspension. In that same game, Belgium lost another starting midfielder in Amadou Onana, who suffered an ACL injury, ruling him out for several months.
Raskin and De Bruyne will start in the middle of the pitch against Spain, who have also changed their midfield, as Barcelona metronome Pedri was not selected by Luis de la Fuente.
Tielemans’ status before the match
Tielemans, 29, started all five matches for Belgium at the World Cup before Friday’s game in Inglewood, California. The Aston Villa midfielder scored two goals against Senegal in the round of 32, helping Belgium to a dramatic 3-2 comeback win.
Youri Tielemans of Belgium.
Still, Vanaken is not a bad alternative. Vanaken, 33, has also played in all five World Cup games for Belgium, starting four straight after his last-minute inclusion against Spain. The Club Brugge midfielder notched a goal and an assist as Belgium beat the USA 4-1 in the round of 16.
Belgium lineup updates
Beyond the key injury, it is worth remembering that Belgium have also played the World Cup without defender Zeno Debast, who has a leg injury and has been held out of action by his club, Sporting Lisbon.
Kevin De Bruyne returned to the lineup for Belgium against Spain after sitting out the win over the USMNT to rest. However, Romelu Lukaku will not start, nor will Dodi Lukebakio, who was a starter in the previous match.
