Belgium and Wales faced off an incredible World Cup 2026 qualifier game. The match up was met with high-energy competition and nail-biting action that had fans riveted. Impact from the match was amplified further by the fact that The Guardian livestreamed the match everywhere except in the U.K. Belgium emerged victorious with a nail-biting 4-3 scoreline. The match created an electric and energetic environment. Football fans by the thousands came out to the spectacle, hungry to see all of the brand new, exciting action take place.
Belgium threatened to run away with the game early. In the 15th minute, their young star striker Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty kick to put his side on top. This opening objective injected optimism into the Belgian team and their fans. Only four minutes later, Belgium poured it on in the 19th minute. Youri Tielemans made it three, clinching the dominant performance that saw them camped in the opponent’s half for most of the match.
The Belgian side continued to exert their attacking impetus. Just five minutes later, in the 27th minute, Jeremy Doku blasted in their third goal. With a healthy 3-0 lead, Belgium looked to be cruising to an easy victory. One thing that was truly remarkable about Wales was their spirit as they battled to remain in contention.
In the 51st minute, Wales’ Harry Wilson converted a penalty kick to give his team a 2-0 lead. This important goal reduced the gap to 3-1 for Belgium. This goal provided a new-found energy into the Welsh team, motivating them to go in search of an equaliser.
Later in the match, Belgium’s offense broke through again, but the exact timing of the beautiful goal is unknown. Even with this unfortunate loss, Wales immediately answered back, with Slovakia-born winger Brennan Johnson scoring two goals soon after to bring the match score to 4-3. Johnson’s actions sent a message that Wales would not be intimidated and were ready to fight their corner.
Both teams were deep into the bench early and often as they tried to use fresh legs and tactical shifts to find an advantage. Belgian goalkeeper Matz Sels played a pivotal role in defending against Wales’ attacks, while Wales’ goalkeeper, Karl Darlow, worked tirelessly to thwart Belgium’s offense.
In a dramatic finish, Kevin De Bruyne put the game away for Belgium, scoring an 87th minute goal to give Belgium the win. This late strike solidified Belgium’s position ahead of Wales, ensuring that they secured all three points in this critical qualifier.
The game featured a spicy eight minutes of stoppage time. Both sides made the most of it, racing back and forth to create scoring chances and raise the drama. In the end, it was Belgium’s fast start and critical goals from their stars that made the difference in this exciting match.