Rudi Garcia Proud Despite Belgium Heartbreak As Spain End World Cup Dream

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia insisted his players should leave the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their heads held high despite a heartbreaking 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Spain, believing his side had proved they could compete with one of the tournament favourites until the very end.

Mikel Merino's late winner ended Belgium's hopes of reaching the semi-finals after another fiercely contested knockout tie, but Garcia refused to criticise his players, instead pointing to a series of setbacks that he felt ultimately tilted the contest in Spain's favour.

"We can be proud of our World Cup," Garcia said after the match in his press conference. "We grow and learn from defeat. I don't think we have to be ashamed of this defeat. We played the Spaniards by looking them in the eye."

The Belgian coach felt his side was unlucky at crucial moments.

"Honestly, we had too many unfavourable situations," he said. "You lose Tielemans before kick-off, you lose your goalkeeper during the second half, and then you have to substitute Kevin De Bruyne earlier than planned. That's too many unfavourable situations."

Garcia also questioned a controversial moment inside the penalty area, believing Belgium should have been awarded a spot-kick.

"When you have a flagrant handball from Rodri in the box and Michael Oliver doesn't see it, that's one thing," he said. "But what's the point of VAR? As long as the handball rules aren't clearer, this will always remain a problem."

Despite the disappointment, Garcia was encouraged by the way Belgium executed their tactical plan against Luis de la Fuente's side, who progressed to the last four after another composed display.

"It was a tactical match, a very close match," Garcia reflected. "In the first half they had one chance and one goal. We had one chance and one goal. We existed in the game; we pressed them, and we put them under pressure."

The Belgian manager believes the contest could easily have swung the other way.

"I think we could have taken the lead around the 60th minute. Maybe that changes everything. God only knows. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough."

Garcia praised his players for sticking faithfully to the game plan against a Spain side widely regarded as one of the strongest teams in the competition.

"Everyone defended well because if you don't defend properly against Spain, you get punished," he said. "We didn't just sit deep. If you only wait against Spain, sooner or later they'll score. We pressed them, we put pressure on their key players, and honestly the players delivered exactly the performance I expected."

"We played the match we needed. But to beat a team of that calibre, you also need luck. Tonight, it was on Spain's side rather than Belgium's."

One of Belgium's biggest setbacks came when goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced off through injury after another outstanding display.

Garcia revealed he had no regrets over replacing his captain despite Courtois believing he could have continued.

"It's part of elite sport," Garcia said. "From the beginning of this World Cup, I decided not to play with players who weren't 100 percent fit."

"I have no regrets about changing him. The objective wasn't for Thibaut to stay on the pitch injured."

The Belgium coach admitted losing one of the world's finest goalkeepers during such an important match was a major setback.

"He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he showed that again tonight. Losing him during the game was a hard blow."

When asked about reports Courtois could step away from international football for a year, Garcia said the matter had not yet been discussed.

"I'll speak with Thibaut about that," he said. "He hasn't spoken to me or the staff about it. What matters tonight is that he couldn't finish the game because of a muscle injury."

Garcia also avoided questions about his own future or a potential rebuild following the tournament, particularly with several experienced players possibly having played their final major competition.

"Tonight isn't the time to talk about that," he said. "I'm disappointed for those who may not come back to the national team. Some of them have given everything for Belgium, and perhaps this was their last major tournament."

"I think my big players deserved to go further. We weren't far from qualifying."

While disappointed with the outcome, Garcia reserved praise for Spain's consistency and the work of head coach Luis de la Fuente.

"This Spanish team isn't about one individual," Garcia said. "It's about the squad."

"Luis de la Fuente has built a team that plays together extremely well. It's practically the same group that won the European Championship in 2024. That continuity is a huge strength."

Asked who he now expected to lift the World Cup, Garcia admitted his focus remained on Belgium's painful exit.

"I don't care anymore," he said honestly. "We wanted Belgium to reach the semi-finals, and we didn't. Now we have to digest this disappointment and move on."