Spain will take on Belgium on Friday, July 10, at Los Angeles Stadium in a quarterfinal matchup, as both teams look to advance to the semifinals.
Spain reached the last eight by defeating Austria, 3-0, in the round of 32, before getting out of a tight round of 16 game against Portugal with a stoppage-time winner from Mikel Merino.
Belgium reached this point with a miraculous 3-2 comeback victory against Senegal, winning in extra time after being down, 2-0, in the 86th minute. Two late goals pushed the game into extra time, before Youri Tielemans scored the winner from the penalty spot.Â
Belgium followed that with a commanding 4-1 victory over the United States in the round of 16, advancing to the last eight after a lackluster start to its World Cup.
If you are a fan of the Premier League, you are more likely than not familiar with the center official for the Spain-Belgium match: the highly experienced Michael Oliver.
This is Olivers second World Cup and his fourth assignment at this tournament. He has already been the official for Netherlands-Sweden, Norway-France and Canada-Morocco, with the Canada-Morocco match coming in the round of 16. Oliver is a highly experienced referee who has worked high-stakes domestic matches in England, as well as prestigious Champions League matches at the club level.
His assistants will be fellow English officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, while the fourth official will be Brazils Ramon Abatti.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (England)
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring (England)
Fourth Official: Ramon Abatti (Brazil)
