Belgium and France met in a highly anticipated UEFA Nations League 2026/27 League A, Group A1 clash at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on September 28, 2026. Both teams entered the fixture with winning starts to the campaign, making this an important early test for two sides with ambitions of competing at the top of the group.
Belgium vs France 2026 Match Preview
Belgium began the Nations League campaign with a 2-0 away victory over Italy, giving new head coach Mark van Bommel a winning start. The Belgian side came into the match after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and was looking to continue its development under Van Bommel.
France also started their Nations League campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Türkiye. The match marked Zinedine Zidane’s first competitive game as France manager. Kylian Mbappé scored the winning goal but subsequently suffered a knee injury, ruling him out of the Belgium match.
The absence of Mbappé was one of the major talking points before kick-off. France still had considerable attacking depth, with players such as Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki available.
Belgium vs France Team News
Belgium were without Leandro Trossard, who was recovering from a heel problem. Van Bommel was expected to rely on Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity alongside younger attacking players including Mika Godts and Diego Moreira.
For France, Mbappé was the major absentee. Zidane also indicated that he would rotate his squad because France had a demanding schedule, with four matches coming in a short period.
Belgium vs France Lineups
The confirmed starting XIs featured several changes from the teams’ opening Nations League matches.
Belgium:
Senne Lammens; Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Timothy Castagne, Joaquin Seys; Roméo Lavia, Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans; Mika Godts, Charles De Ketelaere, Diego Moreira.
France:
Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Maxence Lacroix, Eduardo Camavinga, Bradley Barcola; Andy Diouf, Désiré Doué, Manu Koné, Maghnes Akliouche; Lucas Da Cunha, Esteban Lepaul.
The official UEFA squad information confirms Mark van Bommel and Zinedine Zidane as the respective coaches, with both teams bringing a mixture of established internationals and younger players into the fixture.
Belgium vs France Head-to-Head Stats
Belgium and France have a long-standing rivalry in international football. UEFA’s match data lists 30 wins for Belgium, 19 draws and 30 wins for France across their historical meetings, with Belgium scoring 163 goals and France 137.
Their recent meetings have also produced closely contested matches, adding further interest to the Nations League encounter.
Match Result and Key Moments
France eventually secured a 1-0 victory, with Michael Olise scoring in the 88th minute after a solo run and composed finish. Belgium created opportunities of their own but could not convert them.
The result gave France another three points and continued Zidane’s winning start as manager. For Belgium, the performance under Van Bommel showed encouraging intensity despite the narrow defeat.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Paris on October 5, 2026, providing another chapter in their Nations League Group A1 battle.
