In the match taking place in the early morning of July 11, Spain opened the score thanks to Fabian Ruiz's goal in the 30th minute. However, Belgium made La Roja pick the ball out of the net for the first time at the 2026 World Cup when Charles De Ketelaere headed in to equalize in the 41st minute.
When the match seemed to have to enter extra time, player Mikel Merino, who was substituted on, scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, bringing a 2-1 victory for the European representative.
This result helped Spain participate in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since winning the championship in 2010 in South Africa. After that peak, La Roja continuously disappointed when they were eliminated right from the group stage of the 2014 World Cup and stopped in the round of 16 at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Notably, coach Luis de la Fuente's team still maintains an unbeaten record at the 2026 World Cup. After 6 matches, Spain won 5 and drew 1, becoming one of the brightest candidates for the championship.
If calculated in all competitions, the victory over Belgium also raised La Roja's unbeaten streak to 36 consecutive matches. This achievement helps them equal the record that Argentina set in the period from 2019 to 2022.
Currently, the longest unbeaten record in national team football history still belongs to Italy with a 37-match unbeaten streak set from 2018 to 2021. This means Spain is only one match away from the blue shirt team's milestone.
La Roja's next challenge will be the French team in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. The match takes place at 2:00 AM on July 15 (Vietnam time). If they continue to maintain an unbeaten streak against a highly rated opponent, Spain will equal Italy's record, and for the second time in history win the right to enter the World Cup final since their 2010 feat.
