Belgium vs Tunisia
Tunisia are slowly becoming World Cup regulars, as they’ve qualified eight times in the last 10 editions, and the Carthage Eagles hope to reach greater heights this time around. Sabri Lamouchi’s men are back in the finals after doing superbly in the World Cup 2026 CAF qualifiers, finishing on top of Group H with 28 points – at least 13 points ahead of Namibia, Liberia, Malawi, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
After suffering a narrow loss to 10-man Austria on Monday, Tunisia will visit the King Baudouin Stadium on Saturday to take on Belgium before opening the World Cup campaign against Sweden next week.
Belgium are coming off a 2-0 win against Croatia in yesterday’s International Friendly, and Rudi Garcia’s side will also use this match to prepare for the World Cup. By the looks of it, SBOTOP football fans could be treated to numerous International Friendly 2026 highlights.
Talking Points
Lukaku makes history for Belgium
Belgium won 2-0 against Croatia yesterday, as Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku found the back of the net. Lukaku came on in the 73rd minute and struck in stoppage time to put the match beyond doubt. By doing so, the 33-year-old striker has now recorded 90 goals in 125 caps to move into the Top 5 of all-time international scorers.
After surpassing Robert Lewandowski on the all-time list, Lukaku will be chasing Sunil Chhetri (95), Ali Daei (108), Lionel Messi (116), and Cristiano Ronaldo (143). If things go according to plan for Belgium in the World Cup, Lukaku could surpass Chhetri in the next few days.
Lukaku will likely use the World Cup stage to remind everyone of his calibre, as he is coming off a difficult 2025-26 campaign with Napoli. He couldn’t find his rhythm due to injuries, so much so that Rasmus Hojlund usurped him for the starting No. 9 role, and it didn’t help that his relationship with then-manager Antonio Conte broke down.
As vice-captain of the national team, Lukaku will be responsible for leading Belgium to greater heights, and he has a strong supporting cast behind him. There’s Jeremy Doku, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Dodi Lukebakio joining him in the final third. Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans are their top creative hubs, while Senne Lammens will be the main man between the sticks, covered by Arthur Teate, Nathan Ngoy, Thomas Meunier, and Maxim De Cuyper, among others.
Growing pains for Tunisia
Tunisia could be in for a long night against Belgium, as they’ve been out of form. After a scintillating CAF qualifiers campaign, the Carthage Eagles have experienced some growing pains with their younger lineup in the past few months.
When Sabri Lamouchi held his first training camp, the message was clear: Tunisia would rebuild around young players. Rani Khedira and skipper Ellyes Skhiri will serve as their veteran leaders. Omar Rekik, Adem Arous, Moutaz Neffati, Raed Chikhaoui, Hadj Mahmoud, Khalil Ayari, and Rayan Elloumi will hope to leave a lasting impression in the World Cup.
But among them, Hannibal Mejbri figures to be the x-factor for the Carthage Eagles. After joining Manchester United from AS Monaco, he struggled to establish himself, but he has grown into a solid playmaker since joining Burnley permanently two years ago. At the last World Cup, he played only 10 minutes, but the 23-year-old will be thrown into the fire this time around.
History
Saturday marks the fourth competitive meeting between Belgium and Tunisia. These two nations first met in the World Cup 2002 group stage, where they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, before the Red Devils notched a 1-0 exhibition win in 2014 and a 5-2 rout in the World Cup 2018 group stage.
Belgium have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five home matches, while Tunisia’s last five games have produced under 2.5 goals, which means we’re likely to have a low-scoring affair this weekend, per the International Friendly 2026 odds.
The Red Devils hit a new low point in March 2025 when a 3-1 defeat to Ukraine during Rudi Garcia’s first game in charge saw them register four consecutive losses and a run of only one win from nine (D2, L6). But Belgium haven’t lost since then (W8, D4), so they approach a fourth successive World Cup finals in superb form.
During the CAF qualifiers, Tunisia didn’t concede a goal in their near-perfect campaign, albeit against inferior opposition (compared to Belgium). Tunisia have only won one of their last six games in Europe (D2, L3), with their lone win coming against lowly-ranked Haiti.
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