Wales vs Belgium 2026 World Cup Qualifying - UEFA, Group Stage

Wales

8': Joe Rodon
89': Nathan Broadhead

FT
2 - 4

Belgium

18': Kevin De Bruyne (P)
24': Thomas Meunier
76': Kevin De Bruyne (P)
90': Leandro Trossard

De Bruyne leads Belgium past Wales to top qualifying group

Belgium celeb De Bruyne_251013 [1296x729]

Wales' hopes of automatic World Cup qualification were dealt a blow as Kevin De Bruyne converted two penalties in Belgium's 4-2 win in Cardiff.

Match Commentary

0': First Half begins.
8': Goal! Wales 1, Belgium 0. Joe Rodon (Wales) header from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sorba Thomas with a cross following a corner.
13': Harry Wilson (Wales) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
18': Goal! Wales 1, Belgium 1. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
24': Goal! Wales 1, Belgium 2. Thomas Meunier (Belgium) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Jérémy Doku.
45'+3': First Half ends, Wales 1, Belgium 2.
45': Second Half begins Wales 1, Belgium 2.
51': Ben Davies (Wales) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
58': Substitution, Wales. Brennan Johnson replaces David Brooks.
60': Substitution, Belgium. Timothy Castagne replaces Maxim De Cuyper.
64': Thomas Meunier (Belgium) is shown the yellow card.
70': Substitution, Belgium. Hans Vanaken replaces Amadou Onana.
71': Substitution, Wales. Nathan Broadhead replaces Ben Davies because of an injury.
76': Goal! Wales 1, Belgium 3. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
81': Substitution, Belgium. Malick Fofana replaces Charles De Ketelaere.
81': Substitution, Belgium. Axel Witsel replaces Kevin De Bruyne.
81': Substitution, Belgium. Brandon Mechele replaces Arthur Theate because of an injury.
86': Substitution, Wales. Kieffer Moore replaces Jordan James.
86': Substitution, Wales. Jay Dasilva replaces Mark Harris.
89': Goal! Wales 2, Belgium 3. Nathan Broadhead (Wales) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kieffer Moore.
90': Goal! Wales 2, Belgium 4. Leandro Trossard (Belgium) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Timothy Castagne.
90'+9': Second Half ends, Wales 2, Belgium 4.

Game Information

Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Attendance: 32,803

FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA Standings

POS	TEAM	GP	GD	PTS
+15	Belgium	6	14	0
+9	North Macedonia	7	13	0
+3	Wales	6	10	2
-4	Kazakhstan	7	7	4

Full Table

Statistics

BEL		WAL
6	Fouls	10
1	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
1	Offsides	0
5	Corner Kicks	7
1	Saves	2
38.2	Possession	61.8
16	SHOTS	9
6	ON GOAL	3
0.4	On Target %	0.3
2	Penalty Goals	0
2	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
242	Accurate Passes	412
313	Passes	491
0.8	Pass Completion %	0.8
3	Accurate Crosses	8
9	Crosses	26
0.3	Cross %	0.3
58	Long Balls	41
27	Accurate Long Balls	10
0.5	Long Balls %	0.2
4	Blocked Shots	3
9	Effective Tackles	13
12	Tackles	18
0.8	Tackle %	0.7
5	Interceptions	4
35	Effective Clearances	18
35	Clearances	18

Line-Ups

Wales (4-2-3-1)

No.	Name
1	Karl Darlow (GK)
16	Ben Cabango
6	Joe Rodon
4	Ben Davies
3	Neco Williams
8	Harry Wilson
17	Jordan James
5	Ethan Ampadu
18	Mark Harris
19	Sorba Thomas
7	David Brooks

Substitutes:

Ronan Kpakio, Tom King, Liam Cullen, Brennan Johnson, Chris Mepham, Nathan Broadhead, Rubin Colwill, Jay Da Silva, Lewis Koumas, Adam Rhys Davies, Josh Sheehan, Kieffer Moore.

Belgium (4-2-3-1)

No.	Name
1	Thibaut Courtois (GK)
3	Arthur Theate
2	Zeno Debast
5	Maxim De Cuyper
15	Thomas Meunier
7	Kevin De Bruyne
8	Nicolas Raskin
18	Amadou Onana
17	Charles De Ketelaere
10	Leandro Trossard
11	Jérémy Doku

Substitutes:

Malick Fofana, Matz Sels, Timothy Castagne, Michy Batshuayi, Dodi Lukebakio, Brandon Mechele, Koni De Winter, Senne Lammens, Loïs Openda, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel, Joaquin Seys.