Los Angeles Stadium closed its FIFA World Cup 2026 chapter in fitting fashion — a dramatic 88th-minute winner from substitute Mikel Merino sending Spain past Belgium 2-1 and into a semi-final against France, in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,492.

Across eight matches at the Inglewood venue, the tournament attracted 561,656 spectators, filling 99.6% of the stadium's capacity. Twelve nations representing all six confederations took to the field, and 26 goals were scored — an average of 3.25 per game.

A Hollywood opening

Los Angeles Stadium hosted the first match on US soil, a night marked by a spectacular pre-game concert featuring Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla. The home nation then delivered the football fireworks: the United States routed Paraguay 4-1, with Folarin Balogun netting twice to become the first American to score two or more goals in a single FIFA World Cup match since Bert Patenaude's hat-trick against the same opponents at Uruguay 1930.

Three days on, Elijah Just became the first New Zealand player to score twice at a FIFA World Cup as IR Iran and New Zealand shared a 2-2 draw — a result that saw all six confederations record a positive outcome at the same tournament for only the third time in FIFA World Cup history.

Milestones and records

Switzerland thrashed Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1, with substitute Johan Manzambi sparking a late surge following Tarik Muharemović's red card. Belgium and IR Iran then played out a goalless draw in which a 10-man Belgium side held firm throughout.

Group stage football at the venue concluded with Türkiye's breathless 3-2 win over a United States side already assured of progression. Arda Güler's goal made him Türkiye's youngest-ever FIFA World Cup scorer, at 21 years and 120 days old.

The knockout rounds brought further landmarks. Canada's 1-0 victory over South Africa in the round of 32 was the co-hosts' first-ever knockout-stage win, and the match saw Alphonso Davies enter the record books as the 1,000th player to appear at FIFA World Cup 2026.

Spain's 3-0 defeat of Austria extended goalkeeper Unai Simón's extraordinary clean-sheet run beyond Walter Zenga's 36-year-old record for consecutive minutes without conceding at a FIFA World Cup. Following the win over Belgium, that streak stands at 650 minutes.

A quarter-final for the ages

The stadium's centrepiece occasion was the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. Fabián Ruiz broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, before Charles De Ketelaere levelled — the first goal Spain had conceded in the entire tournament. Merino's late intervention in the 88th minute settled the contest 2-1 and booked Spain's place in the last four.

Kathryn Schloessman, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, paid tribute to the supporters who packed the stadium: