Live coverage and text updates as Lamine Yamal’s Spain face Belgium for the right to meet France in the semifinals.
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Midfielder Amadou Onana will miss the remainder of the World Cup after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the last match.
Belgium’s predicted lineup
(4-3-3): Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Ngoy, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Raskin, Vanaken; Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Trossard
Belgium topped Group G with five points, winning against New Zealand and drawing with Iran and Egypt. They defeated Senegal 3-2 in extra time in the Round of 32, before thrashing the USA 4-1 in the last 16 contest that was eclipsed by the bitter row over Folarin Balogun’s red card ban.
Spain topped Group H with seven points, beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay and drawing with Cape Verde. They began their knockout campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of Austria in the round of 32 before beating Portugal 1-0 with a late goal in an Iberian derby in the round of 16.
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Tuesday’s Round of 16 FIFA World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina in Atlanta was perhaps both the tournament’s most controversial game and its most politically consequential.
After going 1-0 up against the defending champions, Egypt had a second goal controversially disallowed and its request denied for a video review (VAR) of an Argentina goal.
Fans and experts complained that VAR was employed unevenly and that Egypt’s 3-2 defeat was unjust.
Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan said the game was “not fair”, suggesting that FIFA wanted Argentina and its global superstar, Lionel Messi, to advance.
The Egyptian Football Association filed a formal complaint on Wednesday.
Lost in the game’s controversial ending is perhaps a much bigger story — the way in which the Egypt-Argentina game has turned into the latest marker of the Palestinian struggle.
Increasingly, positions on Israel and Palestine are seen as a gauge of political and moral integrity, while the Palestinian cause has emerged as a visible political dividing line within sport.
Nowhere in recent sporting memory has this been clearer than the Egypt-Argentina match.
The 2026 World Cup has a prize pool of $871m, the biggest in football history. How much is every country getting, and where does the money come from?
Al Jazeera’s Yasmeen Eltahan explains.
The winner will play France in the semifinal after Didier Deschamps’ side overcame Morocco in the first quarterfinal on Thursday.
Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored the goals that sent the 2018 winners through.
France are seeking to reach a third consecutive final, having been defeated in the 2022 final in Qatar by Argentina.
Click here to read our full match report following France’s win, or click here to review our live coverage.
Catch the latest match highlights from the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America:
Hello, welcome and thanks for joining our live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 clash between Spain and Belgium.
The winner will face France in the semifinal, with Didier Deschamps’ side, who were defeated in the final by Argentina at Qatar 2022, now regarded as the favourites to win this tournament.
I’m Alex Hoad and I’ll bring you all the pre-match build-up, the analysis and the photo coverage throughout the day.
Adam Hancock will then take you through the team news and our comprehensive minute-by-minute live text commentary.
Latest match highlights, reaction and previews from the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.
Haaland vs Kane and other key factors before World Cup 2026 showdown between England and Norway in Miami.
From individual milestones to national numbers, several records have tumbled in Mbappe’s historic World Cup run.
Morocco came to the quarterfinal with high hopes and revenge on their minds, only to be met with the in-form team.
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