The game between Portugal and Spain defined one half of the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals. Now that we know who will progress in the tournament, it’s time to see what the next game entails as a whole.
Spain will play the winner of United States and Belgium on July 10th at 3:00 PM ET at none other than Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California. Hence, there is likely a 70,000 crowd awaiting to watch this game live. Spain’s path to the final is clearer now.
Spain advanced after a hard-earned 1-0 win over Portugal, who are eliminated of the 2026 World Cup now. Now, they’ll wait to see if the USA win, tie, or lose vs. Belgium to start prepping for next game. The goal came thanks to a clutch play by super-sub Mikel Merino. This also means Cristiano Ronaldo might have retired from Portugal’s national team.
Spain barely edged a lackluster Portugal
This was not a brilliant game by any means. However, Spain were the better team all around, having most of the best chances in the game. Portugal’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa made plenty of saves, but that doesn’t mean Spain showed an elite level of play.
Pedri of Spain
In fact, regardless on whether they face the USMNT or Belgium, the quarterfinals matchup could be another hard test for Spain. Actually Spain might still be alive, but this is not the team that everyone expected to steamroll its opponents.
Spain’s midfield need to improve for latter stages
While Spain won and were the better team, the same happened for their games in the group stage and Round of 32. Their midfield should easily dominate every single opponent, but it’s not happening.
Pedri is one of the best midfielders in the game but he is not playing at his best. Rodri is struggling to impose his tempo, and if the game is dynamic enough, he looks slow. That is something Spain must fix before their quarterfinals match.
