Belgium Coach Rudi Garcia Reflects on World Cup Journey After Quarterfinal Loss to Spain

Belgium's head coach Rudi Garcia expressed pride in his team's performance despite their quarterfinal defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026. He emphasized the valuable lessons learned and addressed the challenges faced during the match, including injuries to key players. Garcia defended his decisions, particularly regarding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and highlighted the team's resilience. The match saw Spain extend their unbeaten streak while Belgium's journey came to an end. As Spain prepares for a semifinal clash against France, Garcia's reflections shed light on the team's experience and growth throughout the tournament.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 11, 2026, 04:18 IST

Garcia's Perspective on Belgium's World Cup Campaign

Following Belgium's quarterfinal exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Spain, head coach Rudi Garcia expressed that his team has no reason to feel ashamed. He emphasized that the players should take pride in their overall performance during the tournament, as reported by a leading sports media outlet.

In his post-match comments, Garcia highlighted the lessons learned from the defeat, stating, "We can hold our heads high regarding our World Cup journey. We gained valuable insights through this loss. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about."

Garcia noted that several challenges, including injuries to key players, hindered Belgium's strategy against Spain. He remarked, "The circumstances were unfortunate. We lost our goalkeeper and captain, and having to substitute Kevin De Bruyne was not part of our plan. Everything seemed out of sync."

Defending his choice to replace goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois during the match, Garcia explained that the decision was made to prevent further injury to the player. Courtois exited the game in the 71st minute due to an apparent injury, with Senne Lammens stepping in as his replacement.

Garcia stressed the importance of players being fully fit and focused at this level of competition, noting that Courtois was not at his best during the match. He stated, "In high-level sports, players need to be completely focused and capable of performing. I didn’t want players who weren’t at 100 percent, and that was the case with Thibaut."

While praising Courtois for his overall performance, Garcia acknowledged that the injury necessitated a change. He added, "He was outstanding, particularly with long passes. We wanted to avoid worsening his injury, which is why I opted to substitute him."

In the match itself, Spain's Fabian Ruiz, who was unexpectedly given a starting position over Pedri, and substitute Mikel Merino scored for Spain, while Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere managed to find the net. Ruiz opened the scoring after Courtois deflected a shot into his path. Spain's Lamine Yamal, who had an impressive game, was awarded Player of the Match.

Belgium equalized just before halftime when Kevin De Bruyne set up Timothy Castagne, whose precise cross was headed in by De Ketelaere, keeping him onside. This goal ended Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's remarkable streak of 560 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, surpassing the previous record of 517 minutes held by Italy's Walter Zenga from 1990.

However, Belgium faced a significant blow when Courtois had to leave the field in the 71st minute, leading to Lammens taking over. Shortly after, Lammens was unable to hold onto a long-range shot from Pau Cubarsi, allowing Merino to score the decisive goal.

This victory marked Spain's 36th consecutive match without defeat, tying them with Argentina's streak from 2019 to 2022 and leaving them just one match shy of Italy's world-record 37-match unbeaten run.

Spain is now set to face France in a highly anticipated semifinal as they pursue another FIFA World Cup title.