Romelu Lukaku affirmed that the Belgian national team will have to create a perfect performance if they want to defeat Spain in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, and believes that they are capable of creating a surprise against the championship contender.
Before the confrontation with Spain at the SoFi stadium, Lukaku admitted that this will be Belgium's biggest challenge at this year's tournament. If they win, coach Rudi Garcia's team will repeat the achievement of reaching the World Cup semi-finals like generations in 1986 and 2018.
We need to play a perfect match. If we want to go further, this is the time to show the best. Spain is an excellent team, with a very clear playing style and has maintained that identity for many years. But we also have strengths to make things difficult for them" - Lukaku shared.
The 33-year-old striker is experiencing an impressive World Cup in the role of "super substitute". After Garcia adjusted his position in the squad, Lukaku scored 3 goals, including an important goal that helped Belgium come back to defeat Senegal 3-2 in the round of 32.
Lukaku affirmed that his success always comes after the collective interest: "I have never put myself above the team. The most important thing is that Belgium wins. We are in a very good spirit, well prepared physically, tactically and mentally and ready for the challenges ahead.
Meanwhile, coach Garcia assessed that Spain is still one of the teams that controls the game best in the world, and also possesses a solid defense when they have not conceded a goal since the beginning of the 2026 World Cup.
However, the French strategist believes that Belgium is strong enough to end La Roja's clean sheet streak.
Records are created to be broken and we hope to do that. We want to score, win and reach the semi-finals. Many people think Belgium will be eliminated, but we believe we can create a surprise" - Garcia emphasized.
