Spain have not conceded a single goal at the 2026 World Cup.Belgium started slowly, but their attack has found life at the right time. One of those stories ends on Friday.

The two sides meet in the quarter-final at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, at 3:00 PM ET, which is 12:30 AM IST on July 11 for anyone staying up in India. The winner plays France in the semi-final in Dallas, after Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the last four.

Spain's numbers are hard to argue with

Spain arrive unbeaten in 36 straight competitive matches since March 2023, according to AP/Sportsnet. They are also the only team left in the tournament yet to concede a goal, having kept six consecutive World Cup clean sheets across five matches while scoring nine, per Al Jazeera.

Much of that owes to goalkeeper Unai Simon, who has gone 609 consecutive minutes without conceding across his World Cup career, a run stretching back to a game against Japan in June 2022, per FOX Sports. Spain got here the hard way, though. Mikel Merino scored a stoppage-time winner in the 91st minute to beat Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16 at Dallas Stadium, a result that also ended Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career, as TUI reported.

Mikel Oyarzabal has been Spain's sharpest weapon going forward, with 4 goals in 5 matches at this World Cup, including a brace against Austria in the round of 32, according to TNT Sports. A win here would put Spain in the semi-finals for the first time since they lifted the trophy in 2010, and this is already their first quarter-final appearance since that title run, per FOX Sports.

Belgium's golden generation, minus one key piece

Belgium looked shaky in the group stage but have found their form at the right time. They beat the United States 4-1 in the round of 16 at Lumen Field in Seattle, with two goals from Charles De Ketelaere plus one each from Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku, per FOX Sports's tournament roundup.

Lukaku has been the story of Belgium's run. His 8 World Cup goals put him level with Diego Maradona, Rudi Voller and Rivaldo on the all-time list, according to data published by FIFA.com. But that win over the US came at a cost: midfielder Amadou Onana tore his ACL during the match and is out for the rest of the tournament, according to Al Jazeera. Losing a midfield anchor against Spain's possession game is not the timing Belgium wanted.

Likely lineups for Spain and Belgium

For Spain, Unai Simón is expected to start in goal behind a defence that has not conceded all tournament. Mikel Oyarzabal should lead the attack after his four-goal run, with 18-year-old Lamine Yamal likely to start on the wing. Dani Olmo is also expected to feature, giving Spain another creative option between midfield and attack.

Belgium could make one key change from the round-of-16 win, with Kevin De Bruyne expected to return after sitting out against the US. With Amadou Onana ruled out by an ACL injury, Hans Vanaken may keep his place and Youri Tielemans could drop deeper. Up front, Charles De Ketelaere is likely to continue, while Romelu Lukaku remains a strong option from the bench.

History between these two is split

This is Belgium's fourth World Cup quarter-final overall and their third in the last four editions, per Al Jazeera. The two sides have a genuine history: Belgium beat Spain 5-4 on penalties in the 1986 quarter-finals, but Spain got their own back with a 2-1 win in a 1990 group-stage meeting. Spain hold the overall head-to-head edge with 12 wins to Belgium's 5 from 23 meetings, according to Squawka. Neither result means much on the pitch now, but both teams know how these fixtures can swing on a single moment.

Romelu Lukaku sounded like a man aware of the gap in his own words. "Tomorrow we need to play the perfect game if we want to proceed. Spain is an excellent team," he said, per FOX Sports. Coach Rudi Garcia was more defiant: "Everyone is already talking about us going home, but we believe we can do it. We believe we can pull off an upset, and we will do everything we can to get to the semis."

What's at stake beyond Friday

Whoever wins travels to Dallas to face France in the semi-final on Tuesday, a matchup that will headline the tournament's second week alongside the other quarter-final showdowns detailed in TUI's round of 16 recap and quarter-final schedule. France have already booked their place in the semi-final after beating Morocco 2-0, so Spain or Belgium now know exactly what waits next.

For now, the question is simpler: does Belgium's attack have one big performance left in it, or does Spain's unbeaten run and shutout streak hold for one more night. Kickoff is just after midnight in India. It should not take long to find out which story wins.