The Belgium injury crisis has become the biggest storyline heading into Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal against Spain, with the Red Devils forced to rework their plan for two separate injury blows just as their tournament reaches its most important stage. Belgium arrives in Los Angeles on an 18-match unbeaten run and fresh off the most emphatic win of any team left in the bracket, but coach Rudi Garcia now has to solve two selection problems that weren’t part of the plan.
The most serious injury behind the Belgium injury crisis is Amadou Onana’s torn ACL, suffered during Belgium’s 4-1 Round of 16 win over the United States. Onana has been the team’s primary midfield enforcer throughout the tournament, and losing him for the rest of the competition is a significant setback for a Belgium side that relies on his ball-winning and defensive screening in front of the back four. With Onana unavailable, Garcia is expected to shift Youri Tielemans into a deeper role alongside Hans Vanaken to help shield the defense, a change that could also free up Kevin De Bruyne to operate with more license further forward after he was rested entirely against the USA.
Nicolas Raskin is also in contention to feature in that reshuffled midfield, giving Garcia at least some cover, but nothing that fully replaces what Onana offered defensively. Belgium’s ability to disrupt Spain’s possession-heavy midfield, built around Rodri, Pedri, and Dani Olmo, will be tested without their primary enforcer for the first time all tournament.
The second concern feeding the Belgium injury crisis is defender Zeno Debast, who has yet to feature at these finals because of a leg injury and is facing a late fitness test before kickoff. Once considered Belgium’s first-choice option in defense, Debast has been sidelined throughout the knockout rounds, forcing Garcia to lean on a back line of Timothy Castagne, Brandon Mechele or Koni De Winter, and Maxim De Cuyper instead. If Debast isn’t passed fit in time, that same group is expected to start again against Spain, meaning Belgium’s defense will likely take the field unchanged for a must-win match against the tournament’s only side that hasn’t conceded a goal.
Despite the setbacks, Belgium isn’t short of quality elsewhere. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the win over the United States and continues as the team’s false nine, while De Bruyne’s return to the starting lineup after his rest gives Belgium a proven creative outlet regardless of who lines up alongside him in midfield. Still, facing a Spain team built around suffocating possession control, the timing of the Belgium injury crisis couldn’t be worse — Onana’s absence in particular removes the exact kind of ball-winner that would normally be tasked with disrupting Rodri and company.
Belgium have reached the World Cup quarterfinals in three of the last four tournaments but are still chasing a first major trophy for this golden generation. How Garcia’s reshuffled lineup holds up against Spain’s midfield control may determine whether that wait continues. For live team news and confirmed lineups as kickoff approaches, Sports Mole’s team news update will track Debast’s fitness status, while Goal.com’s full match preview breaks down both squads in more depth.
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