Belgium trains for quarter-final against Spain, England prepares to face Norway

The World Cup 2026 quarter-finals are approaching, with Belgium set to face Spain and England preparing to face Norway. Belgium trained in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday, following their 4-1 win over the United States on Monday.

Belgium's Confidence Boost

Belgium's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes the team has gained confidence from their win over the United States. 'We gained a lot of confidence, because we knew it was going to be a hard game against America,' Courtois said. The team celebrated their win with a dance associated with US President Donald Trump, which has been performed by several athletes in recent months.

Racism Concerns in Football

Samuel Okafor, the chief executive of Kick It Out, has warned that the rise of divisive political rhetoric is leading to an increase in racism in football. 'The political climate that we're facing is clearly finding its way into football. And it's making a huge difference in the levels of abuse we're seeing – people are certainly being emboldened now more than ever,' Okafor said.

England's Quarter-final Preparations

England is preparing to face Norway in the quarter-finals, with defender Dan Burn saying the team must be better than they were against Mexico to win. 'It does not surprise us at all how well they've done, to be honest,' Burn said. 'We're going to have to be top level all over the pitch and put in probably a lot better performance than we did against Mexico to get through.'