World Cup 2026: Wales and Belgium Face a Make-or-Miss Situation

Wales vs Belgium

Wales and Belgium are suddenly fighting for their lives in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers after North Macedonia seized the top spot in Group J. With three wins and three draws, Blagoja Milevski’s group has accumulated 12 points. The top finisher of the group will qualify directly for next year’s quadrennial tournament, while the second seed will have to go through the play-off gauntlet.

However, Wales and Belgium both have a game in hand, and their meeting at Cardiff City Stadium this Monday could change everything. As things stand, the Red Devils are second with 11 points, while the Dragons are right behind them with 10 points. As for Kazakhstan (six points) and Liechtenstein (0 points), forget about it.

The visitors are fresh from a goalless draw against North Macedonia, which didn’t help their cause. Meanwhile, the hosts hope to return to winning ways fast, as they’re coming off back-to-back friendly defeats against Canada (1-0) and England (3-0).

 

Talking Points

Wales have the necessary quality

Craig Bellamy began his Wales managerial tenure with an impressive nine-game undefeated run across all competitions (W5, D4). However, the Dragons have since suffered losses in three of their last four games, with a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan sandwiched between their defeats against Belgium, Canada, and England. 

Since their seven-goal thriller against Belgium, Wales’ goals have dried up. After Kieffer Moore scored the marginal goal against the Kazakhs, the Dragons couldn’t find the back of the net against Canada and England, and they only generated five shots on target in those games.

Wales hope to regain their shooting boots fast through the likes of Brennan Johnson, Kieffer Moore, and Harry Wilson. Johnson has two goals for Tottenham this season, and Wilson opened his account against Brentford last month. Meanwhile, Kieffer Moore already has four league goals in nine Championship appearances this term, but he hasn’t scored since Wrexham’s 3-1 loss to QPR last month.

David Brooks, Ethan Ampadu, Neco Williams, Joe Rodon, Karl Darlow, and skipper Ben Davies all ply their trade in the Premier League this year, and they should also provide much-needed ammo for the Dragons.

 

Doku has been bright for Belgium

Jeremy Doku entered the October international break in high spirits, as he had just won the Etihad Player of the Month for September. The 23-year-old winger had one goal and three assists for Manchester City in that time period, helping them overcome their sluggish start to the 2025-26 campaign.

Doku’s form has carried over to the ongoing qualifiers, as he and Kevin De Bruyne were dangerous in the attack for Belgium, coming close to breaking the deadlock against North Macedonia with several second-half efforts.

The Red Devils have been profligate in the final third against North Macedonia, recording 25 total shots (compared to three by North Macedonia), with five of them on target. With Romelu Lukaku still out due to injury, Doku will likely continue to shoulder the scoring load for Belgium.

 

History

Wales and Belgium put on a seven-goal thriller in the reverse fixture last June at King Baudouin Stadium. The hosts won the game, as Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans, Jeremy Doku, and Kevin De Bruyne found the back of the net, rebuffing the efforts of Harry Wilson, Sorba Thomas, and Brennan Johnson.

Overall, Monday marks the 19th competitive meeting between the Dragons and the Red Devils. The latter has the edge in the head-to-heads with eight victories, while the former has five wins and five draws. Belgium are undefeated in their last five.

Wales and Belgium qualified for the 2022 World Cup, and both sides failed to reach the knockout stage. Wales finished dead last in Group B with one point, taken from their 1-1 draw against the United States. On the other hand, Belgium finished third in Group F with four points after dropping points against Morocco and Croatia.

 

Betting Tip

The World Cup 2026 odds expect Belgium to defeat Wales (again) this weekend. Rudi Garcia’s men are 1.70 favourites to win, while Craig Bellamy’s group are 4.28 underdogs, and a draw is pegged at 3.56 in the 1X2 market.

The Correct Score of 4-3 in favour of Belgium – the result of their previous encounter – is a long shot (190.00) in this fixture, but fans who will watch this game at Cardiff City Stadium should still get their usual dose of World Cup 2026 highlights. Besides going for a Belgium victory, SBOTOP bettors may also add Over 2.50 at 1.88 and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.99 to their parlay. 

   

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