Belgium was forced into a goalkeeper change in the second half of its World Cup quarterfinal against Spain.
With the score tied 1-1, Thibaut Courtois suffered what appeared to be a leg muscle injury midway through the second half.
Belgium medics tended to the Real Madrid goalkeeper on the field and he came out with his teammates after the second-half hydration break.
But Courtois quickly signaled that he was unable to continue, and was replaced by Senne Lammens in the 71st minute.
Courtois was emotional on the bench as he realized his World Cup may be over, whether Belgium gets past Spain or not.
Thibaut Courtois was visibly emotional after having to sub off for Belgium 🇧🇪
Senne Lammens comes on to replace him pic.twitter.com/SAf0VxNdaZ
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 10, 2026
Lammens, 24, made just his third senior appearance for Belgium when entering the pitch at SoFi Stadium.
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World Cup knockout round format
The World Cup becomes a single-elimination tournament once the knockout stage begins. The 32 remaining teams have been placed into a bracket, and the field will halve itself during each ensuing round of the tournament until a winner is crowned.
The lone exception is that the two semifinal losers will play in a third-place game ahead of the World Cup final.
Full World Cup knockout stage bracket, matchups, schedule
Round of 16
- July 4: France def Paraguay – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- July 4: Morocco def Canada – Houston
- July 5: Norway def Brazil – East Rutherford
- July 5: England def Mexico – Mexico City
- July 6: Spain def Portugal – Arlington
- July 6: Belgium def USA – Seattle
- July 7: Argentina def Egypt – Atlanta
- July 7: Switzerland def Colombia – Vancouver
Quarterfinals
- July 9: France def Morocco – Foxborough
- July 10: ESP vs. BEL – Inglewood
- July 11: NOR vs. ENG – Miami
- July 11: ARG vs. SWI – Kansas City
Semifinals
- July 14: Foxborough/Inglewood winners – Arlington
- July 15: Miami/Kansas City winners – Atlanta
Final
- July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Belgium goalkeeper injured, leaves World Cup quarterfinal vs. Spain
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