Could this be Yamal’s game?

During the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, this was expected to be the tournament where teenage sensation Lamine Yamal would dazzle on the biggest stage, carrying on the breathtaking form he has shown for Barcelona in recent years.

However, a hamstring injury in April meant the 18-year-old had to settle for a substitute appearance as Spain were held to a shock goalless draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde.

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Yamal could not change the game that day, but Spain gradually found their rhythm. His only goal of the tournament so far came in a comfortable group-stage victory over Saudi Arabia, while La Roja steadily built momentum on the back of a formidable defence.

Spain have not relied heavily on their attack this time around, instead appearing to replicate the composed blueprint that carried them to their only World Cup title in 2010. They have scored nine goals in five matches – just one more than the eight they managed across seven games in South Africa – while remaining the only team yet to concede at this tournament.

Yet if Spain are to go all the way again, they may need Yamal at his electrifying best. That opportunity arrives in Saturday's quarterfinal against Belgium in Los Angeles, where Spain's watertight defence will face one of the tournament's most effective attacking unit. Belgium have so far scored 13 goals, trailing only joint leaders Argentina and France, who have 14 each.

Yamal was named Player of the Match in Spain's Round of 32 victory over Austria despite neither scoring nor assisting. Afterwards, he admitted that "a goal or an assist was all that I was missing."

The numbers support his assessment.

The Barcelona winger has completed 17 successful dribbles at this World Cup – the most of any player. Since detailed records began in 1966, only Germany's Jamal Musiala (19 in 2022) and France's Kylian Mbappe (22 in 2018) have completed more dribbles as teenagers at a World Cup.

His ability to beat defenders in tight spaces has repeatedly unsettled opponents, even when it has not directly translated into goals or assists.

Yamal's influence is already evident in the numbers, but against Belgium, Spain may need something more decisive than flashes of brilliance. If the teenager can finally produce that, this could be the game in which he finally arrives in his brilliant best and propels La Roja into the semifinals.