Belgium captain Youri Tielemans out with injury vs. Spain

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans sustained an undisclosed injury while warming up and was scratched from the starting lineup, adding to the Red Devils' woes in the midfield before facing Spain in a quarterfinal match of the World Cup at Inglewood, Calif., on Friday.

The midfielder had played in all five of Belgium's World Cup games, scoring twice in a 3-2 win over Senegal in the round of 32.

Hans Vanaken replaced Tielemans on the field, and Kevin De Bruyne was named captain.

The injury comes after midfielder Amadou Onana went down with an anterior cruciate ligament injury early vs. the United States on Monday, ending his World Cup.

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 12:32 PM.