Belgium will play Senegal in a Round of 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 2, with the winner of this fixture set to take on the victorious team of the clash between co-hosts USA and Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Round of 16.
Belgium have endured an underwhelming group-stage campaign, failing to hit top gear. The Red Devils opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Egypt before being held to a goalless stalemate by Iran. They finally found their rhythm in their final Group G fixture, cruising to a 5-1 victory over New Zealand to register their first win of the tournament.
Senegal have also struggled to make an impact at the tournament. Despite finishing third in Group I behind France and Norway, Senegal progressed to the playoffs after securing one of the eight best third-placed finishes across the tournament's 12 groups.
Match Time, Venue
The game between Senegal and Belgium will get underway at 1:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time on Thursday. It will be played at the Seattle Stadium in the US.
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Head-to-Head
The upcoming match marks the first occasion when the two teams will be squaring-off against each other in an international football game.
Form Guide (Last five matches, most recent match first)
- Belgium: W-D-D-W-W
- Senegal: W-L-L-D-L
Belgium
- Possible Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Timothy Castagne; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku; Charles De Ketelaere.
- Substitutes: Senne Lammens, Mike Penders, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate, Nicolas Raskin, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemekars.
- Coach: Rudi Garcia
Senegal
Possible Starting 11 (4-3-3): Mory Diaw; Krépin Diatta, Abdoulaye Seck, Moussa Niakhaté, Malick Diouf; Habib Diarra, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Lamine Camara; Ibrahim Mbaye, Ismaïla Sarr, Sadio Mané
Substitutes: Yehvann Diouf, Edouard Mendy, Ilay Camara, El Hadji, Ismail Jakobs, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moustapha Mbow, Antoine Mendy, Mamadou Sarr, Pathe Ciss, Pape Gueye, Pape Matar Sarr, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, Assane Diao, Bamba Dieng, Nicolas Jackson, Cherif Ndiaye, Iliman Ndiaye
Coach: Pape Thiaw
Players to Watch
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium): The 35-year-old has scored one goal at this World Cup. For Belgium to win against Senegal, the Napoli midfielder will look to lead from the front.
- Sadio Mande (Senegal): The Al Nassr forward has netted 55 goals for Senegal and his pace will be crucial as Senegal looks to break Belgium's defence.
How To Watch Live Telecast?
The match will be televised live in India on Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD television channels.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The Belgium vs Senegal game will be streamed live on the ZEE5 app and website in English, Malayalam, Bangla and Hindi.
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