All eyes' are on Spain for victory over us, claims Belgium manager

On July 8, 2026, a combination of pictures was created, featuring Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente and Belgium's head coach Rudi Garcia, taken on July 6, 2026, in Arlington and September 7, 2025, in Anderlecht, respectively, as their teams prepare to meet in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on July 10, 2026.

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According to coach Rudi Garcia, widespread expectations are that Belgium will be eliminated by Spain in the upcoming quarter-final match, but he expressed confidence in his team's ability to achieve a notable victory.

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As the European champions, Spain are favored to win, having maintained a clean sheet throughout the tournament, whereas Belgium have faced a more challenging journey, narrowly topping their group and requiring a late comeback to defeat Senegal.

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At a press conference on Thursday, Garcia seemed to embrace the underdog label, stating that "everyone is already talking about us going home," but emphasized his team's determination to succeed.

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Garcia asserted that his team believes they can pull off a win and will exert all efforts to reach the semi-finals, saying "we think we can do it" and "we're going to do everything we can to get to the semis."

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Belgium regained their footing in Monday's round-of-16 match, defeating the United States 4-1, and Garcia noted that his team is among the top scorers in the tournament, with 13 goals, behind only France and Argentina.

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The Belgian team has also taken 107 shots, second only to France, who have played one more game, demonstrating their offensive capabilities.

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When asked about the potential hostility of the predominantly American crowd in Los Angeles following Belgium's victory over the US, Garcia downplayed the concern, stating that his team had already overcome a hostile crowd in their previous match.

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Garcia said "we just beat the US, obviously, and again at a stadium where everyone was against us," and that he does not expect the conditions to be more difficult, focusing instead on the challenge posed by the Spanish team.

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He emphasized that "it's not the fans that score the goals" and that his team will concentrate on their own performance, acknowledging the strength of the Spanish squad but expressing determination to give them a strong challenge.

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Belgium's veteran striker Romelu Lukaku echoed his manager's sentiments, stating that "if you manage to get this far, then you're not going to play a game just to go home" and expressing confidence in his team's talent.

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Lukaku said "I think we also have the necessary talent" and that his team needs to "play the perfect game" to succeed in the upcoming match.