The 2026 World Cup quarterfinals continued to unfold on Friday, which means the final eight are down to the final six. Spain got a late goal from Mikel Merino to break a 1-1 stalemate with Belgium and secure a spot in the semifinal round.

FOX Sports' Alexi Lalas revealed his World Cup quarterfinals power rankings on the State of the Union podcast.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 delivered late winners, stunning upsets, dramatic comebacks and emotional farewells as the race for football’s biggest prize narrowed to the final eight.

Zeki Amdouni added a light-hearted touch by posting on Snapchat that he would retire from football after getting the chance to play against Messi.

Eight teams remain. Four matches await. Only four will reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals.-The FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its decisive stage wit

Merino, who also scored a late game-winner in the Round of 16, scores in the 88th minute on a rebound yielded by backup Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Spain prevails, 2-1. Spain and France will square off Tuesday in Dallas.

For the first time since winning it all in 2010, Spain is on its way to the World Cup semifinal. La Roja outlasted Belgium 2-1 to win in the quarterfinal on Friday. While the final score was close, Spain dominated for most of the match,