The Belgian men's national football team are taking on Wales at a World Cup qualifier on Monday evening at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
Following a disappointing run of results, including a sluggish 1-1 draw in the competition's opener in North Macedonia on Friday, pressure is mounting on manager Rudi Garcia to meet expectations this time. Not least because the next opponents have been in rampant form: Wales have remained unbeaten in their last 15 competitive fixtures, dating back to a narrow loss to Turkey in June 2023.
Craig Bellamy remains confident in his team's chances against the Red Devils, assuring supporters they would not "sit back and be satisfied with a draw" at Sunday evening's pre-match press conference. Wales have taken seven points from their first three outings in the qualifying group, beating Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein, only stumbling against the Macedonians in Skopje.
For Belgium, the equation is simple: a win against the standout rivals in the group would mean the chances of automatic qualification significantly increase. Group winners book a direct spot for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while second-placed teams are required to go through an additional play-off round. Victory on Monday night would erase most of the jeopardy of the sloppy display in North Macedonia.
Belgium boss Rudi Garcia stayed upbeat after that game and prefers to look to the future. "After the frustration of last weekend, the boys have concentrated on the match against Wales," he said, as reported by HLN. "We know what we have to do.” The technician also highlighted the need to be more diligent in defending and give less space to the opponents after ceding possession. "We have to do it together.”
In head-to-head encounters between the sides, Belgium have enjoyed stellar success in recent times, staying unbeaten on four occasions since the infamous 2016 European Championship quarter-final, when Hal Robson-Kanu's goal eliminated the Red Devils from the competition and sent shockwaves through the continent.
"And of course we have to point out the strengths - they have some good headers and players from the Premier League," added Garcia. "But we have to focus on ourselves."
Belgium currently occupy fourth place in Group J of the qualifying section, after one draw from their first game of the campaign. Wales have a two-point lead over North Macedonia at the top, while Kazakhstan have also collected a win and a loss so far. Liechtenstein complete the group with three losses to date. After the current international window, the competition continues in September.
The Belgians will be without two of their key players, as Thibaut Courtois and Timothy Castagne are both sidelined through injury. Wales will be missing Nottingham Forest right-back Neco Williams for the clash.
The match will kick off at 20:45, and will be broadcast live on both RTBF and VTM.
