Belgium host France at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Monday, September 28, in a UEFA Nations League 2026/27 Group A1 match. Kick-off is at 8:45pm local time, 18:45 GMT. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
France arrive after a 1-0 win over Turkey in the opener. Captain Kylian Mbappe scored the winning goal in the early second half, but a knee injury marred the victory. The country’s leading scorer has returned to Madrid to begin his recovery and will be out for two weeks, until mid-October. He is the highest-profile international missing from the squad.
Central midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery is also out with a thigh injury, while defensive midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is suspended. Zinedine Zidane, in his second match of the France era, said there will be changes and that the squad will rotate a little because they knew they would have four matches in such a short time. The most important thing, he said, is to get to know each other.
Belgium, meanwhile, are riding high after a surprise 2-0 away win over Italy in Mark van Bommel’s stellar debut in charge of the Red Devils. Mika Godts and Dodi Lukebakio are in top form. Kevin De Bruyne, the experienced midfielder, grabbed the limelight in the last game with his assist and man-of-the-match performance. Diego Moreira is another player to watch on the left wing after his three goals in as many league games for AC Milan this term.
Van Bommel said it is special to coach against someone like Zidane. He called Zidane an exceptional footballer and a good coach too. Zidane, a former France midfielder, returns to the coaching job for this Nations League campaign.
France have no shortage of talent and goal-scoring skills. Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue will take responsibility in front of goal. Olise was the man of the match last time out and has made a flying start at Bayern Munich this season with eight goals and four assists in seven matches across all competitions. Rayan Cherki has also found the net for his club, Manchester City, bagging four goals and two assists.
Belgium have two injuries in the squad. Winger Leandro Trossard has a heel injury and goalkeeper Mike Penders has a muscle issue. Probable Belgium XI: Senne Lammens; Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper; Nicolas Raskin; Dodi Lukebakio, Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Diego Moreira; Charles De Ketelaere.
Probable France XI: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, Maxence Lacroix, Andy Diouf; Rayan Cherki, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot; Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele.
The last time they met in a Nations League group encounter was in October 2024, when Randal Kolo Muani’s double gave France a 2-1 win over Belgium. The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against top-ranked teams. In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure, which features promotion and relegation.
Recent form, latest results first: Belgium W-L-W-W-W. France W-W-L-L-W. The match is a clash for the top spot in the group.
