Related videos:
Belgium and Senegal will face each other in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday, July 1st at 20:00 UTC (16:00 Cuba time) at Lumen Field in Seattle, a stadium that during the tournament is officially named Seattle Stadium and has a capacity of 68,740 spectators.
The as Game 82 of the knockout stage of the tournament being held jointly in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The match will have a historic flavor: neither team has ever faced off in a World Cup, making this their first official encounter in the history of the tournament.
The Red Devils arrived at the crossing as leaders of Group G with five points, resulting from one victory and two draws. Their performance in the group stage was inconsistent: they began with a 1-1 draw against Egypt on June 15, then drew 0-0 with Iran on June 22, and concluded with a 5-1 thrashing of New Zealand on Saturday at BC Place in Vancouver.
That last victory was crucial for qualification. Belgium and Egypt finished tied on five points, but the goal difference —+4 compared to +1— secured the top spot for the Europeans. The goals against New Zealand were scored by Leandro Trossard (two goals), Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku, who demonstrated the team's offensive strength when it was needed most.
As noted in the group stage summary, "although they reached the decisive day in a critical position with only two points after two consecutive draws, the Red Devils bounced back with a resounding 5-1 victory over New Zealand," which allowed them to finish the group with a goal difference of +4 and an overall score of 6-2.
Senegal, for its part, advanced as the best third-place team from Group I with only three points and a goal difference of +2, after a tumultuous group stage. The Lions of Teranga lost 3-1 to France on June 16 and 3-2 to Norway with a brace from Haaland on June 23, results that left them on the brink of elimination.
However, the African team bounced back in the last match with a decisive 5-0 victory over Iraq on June 26 in Toronto, a result that allowed them to secure a spot among the eight best third-placed teams in the tournament.
"Senegal, with 3 points and a goal difference of +2, secured a provisional spot as the best third-place team after defeating Iraq 5-0 in Toronto," according to the summary of the group stage of Group I.
The contrast between the two teams is evident when reviewing the numbers: Belgium comes in with six goals scored and two conceded in the group stage, while Senegal registered eight goals for and six against, resulting in an overall score of 8-6 that reflects greater defensive vulnerability.
The Europeans demonstrated resilience at the finish; the Africans showed their ability to respond when elimination was imminent.
The winner of this match will advance to the round of 16, where the next game at Lumen Field in Seattle is scheduled for July 6th.
Filed under: