Belgium outplayed Tunisia 5:0 in Brussels in its final home test before the World Cup
Belgium defeated Tunisia 5:0 on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, in an international friendly match that carried clear preparatory importance for both national teams ahead of the 2026 World Cup. According to the report by Ahram Online and the AFP agency, the scorers for the Belgian national team were Leandro Trossard in the 28th minute, Charles De Ketelaere in the 53rd, Kevin De Bruyne in the 65th, Dodi Lukébakio in the 85th and Nicolas Raskin in the 87th minute. The match was played at 3 p.m., and the City of Brussels stated in its match preview that it was the final home preparatory match of the Belgian Red Devils before leaving for the world tournament. The final 5:0 clearly shows the difference in rhythm, squad depth and efficiency, especially after Tunisia was left with one player fewer. In sporting terms, the Belgian victory was convincing and the most emphatic result-based impression of a match in which the home national team controlled almost all key phases of play.
Five goals and the turning point after the sending-off
Belgium took the lead in the 28th minute, when Leandro Trossard finished off an attack with which the home side cashed in on its better start to the match. According to GhanaSoccernet’s report, the goal came after a dangerous run and cross by Jérémy Doku, confirming that the Belgian national team would create its greatest pressure through fast wide solutions and constant attacks on the space behind Tunisia’s back line. Tunisia avoided a larger deficit before halftime, but even then it was clear that the team struggled to play out of pressure and that the Belgian midfield had more time and space to prepare the final phase. At the beginning of the second half, Charles De Ketelaere increased the lead to 2:0, and according to the same report he scored with a header after a precise cross by Youri Tielemans. That goal further reduced Tunisia’s chances of a comeback because it allowed Belgium calmer control of the tempo and more room for rotations.
The key disciplinary moment occurred in the 62nd minute, when Ismael Gharbi, according to Ahram Online and AFP, was sent off for a second yellow card. Just three minutes later, Belgium made it 3:0 through Kevin De Bruyne, effectively settling the match in terms of the result. In the closing stages, the home side made use of its numerical and playing superiority, so Dodi Lukébakio in the 85th and Nicolas Raskin in the 87th minute rounded off the final 5:0. Such a sequence of events shows that the result was not built only on one short series of goals, but on constant pressure that, after the sending-off, turned into complete domination. For Tunisia, it was particularly problematic that after the third goal the team lost stability in the defensive third, while Belgium maintained its intensity even after numerous substitutions.
Belgium’s squad depth came to the fore
According to UEFA’s list of registered players, Belgium was led by head coach Rudi Garcia, and the squad included experienced mainstays such as Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard. At the same time, important roles were also given to players who represent the wider competitive squad, among them Charles De Ketelaere, Nicolas Raskin, Dodi Lukébakio, Amadou Onana, Jérémy Doku and Maxim De Cuyper. It was precisely the combination of experience and freshness that marked Belgium’s performance: De Bruyne brought security in organization, Trossard and Doku width in attack, and later introductions from the bench kept the pressure going until the end of the match. In friendly matches the result is not the only criterion, but such a match gives the head coach clearer answers about who can maintain rhythm and intensity in the closing stages. It is particularly important for Belgium that players from different lines and roles got on the scoresheet, because that reduces dependence on one striker or one pattern of finishing.
According to UEFA’s information about the match, the main referee was Greek official Tasos Sidiropoulos, with Greek assistants Polychronis Kostaras and Lazaros Dimitriadis, while Angelos Evangelou was in charge of VAR. UEFA also noted in the match record that the game was played on a pitch marked as excellent, with cloudy weather and a temperature of 18 degrees. Such conditions are not decisive for the result, but they are important for understanding the rhythm of the match because the teams were able to play in stable circumstances without extreme weather restrictions. Belgium used that for a high tempo, broad attacking development and a large number of entries into the final third. GhanaSoccernet, citing a statistical review of the match, stated that Belgium had 66 percent possession, 27 shots and 12 shots on target, while Tunisia finished with seven shots and one on target, which describes well the difference in attacking output.
Tunisia punished for a lack of outlet solutions
Tunisia arrived in Brussels as a World Cup participant, but against Belgium it showed problems that preparatory matches are meant to reveal before the competition begins. According to UEFA’s list, head coach Sabri Lamouchi had in his squad players such as Ellyes Skhiri, Hannibal Mejbri, Ali Abdi, Montassar Talbi, Ismael Gharbi and Sebastian Tounekti, but the team failed to establish sufficiently long periods of possession. The biggest problem was the transition from defense to attack, because Belgium quickly closed the middle and forced Tunisia into risky passes or long balls without enough support. While the match was numerically even, Tunisia could still defend in a deeper block and try to remain within reach on the scoreboard. After Gharbi’s sending-off, that structure collapsed, and Belgian players began to find space between the lines more easily.
For the Tunisian national team, the 5:0 defeat does not have to be the final picture of its capabilities, but it is a serious warning ahead of a tournament where mistakes are punished quickly and expensively. Ahram Online and AFP stated that this was Tunisia’s second consecutive defeat in a run of four preparatory matches, after an earlier 1:0 defeat to Austria, a 0:0 draw with Canada and a 1:0 victory against Haiti. Such a run shows that the team can be defensively organized against certain opponents, but also that it has difficulties when it must respond to the high tempo and technical quality of opponents from a higher European tier. In Brussels, Tunisia conceded five goals, but it is equally important that it created too few dangerous situations to force Belgium into a different distribution of risk. Lamouchi’s staff will therefore primarily have to draw conclusions from this match about discipline, reaction after losing the ball and protection of the space in front of the defense.
The result in the broader context of the 2026 World Cup
According to FIFA’s schedule, Belgium will compete in Group G of the 2026 World Cup together with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand. FIFA states that Belgium opens the competition against Egypt on June 15, 2026, at Seattle Stadium, then plays Iran on June 21 at Los Angeles Stadium, and New Zealand on June 27 at BC Place in Vancouver. For that reason, the match against Tunisia had additional value: it was the final opportunity on home soil to check attacking form, distribution of minutes and the condition of players before travel. A 5:0 victory will not in itself guarantee success in the group, but it provides an important psychological boost and confirmation that the team can create a large number of chances. Belgium, according to the Ahram Online and AFP report, connected two positive results with this win after an earlier 2:0 victory against Croatia.
Tunisia will, according to FIFA’s schedule, play in Group F with the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden. FIFA states that the Tunisian national team opens the tournament against Sweden in Monterrey, then plays Japan, also in Monterrey, and concludes the group against the Netherlands in Kansas City. In such a schedule, the match against Belgium was supposed to serve as a test against an opponent with individual quality, experience and the ability to accelerate play through the middle and the wings. The defeat in Brussels is therefore a signal that Tunisia must more quickly improve the balance between caution and ambition, because in Group F it will have to find ways to survive periods of pressure, but also to relieve its defense through its own attacks. According to the official FIFA tournament website, the 2026 World Cup is the first edition with 48 national teams and three host countries, Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, which additionally increases the logistical and competitive demands for all participants.
Brussels as the final home stop of Belgium’s preparations
The King Baudouin Stadium has a special place in Belgian football because it traditionally hosts the national team’s most important matches in Brussels. The City of Brussels stated in the official event preview the stadium’s location on Avenue de Marathon in the Laeken district and confirmed that the Belgium - Tunisia match would be played on June 6, 2026, at 3 p.m. In the same preview, it was emphasized that this was the Red Devils’ final preparatory appearance on Belgian soil before the World Cup, which explains why the match also had symbolic value for Belgian fans at the stadium. For a team preparing for a tournament in North America, saying farewell to home ground with five goals and none conceded represents an optimal result scenario. Still, the coaching staff will likely separate the final result from the specific circumstances of the match in its analysis, especially from the fact that Tunisia played the last half hour with ten men.
Belgium’s performance was convincing precisely because it did not depend only on the punitive phase after the sending-off. The home national team took the lead before halftime, increased the advantage shortly after the break and only then used the additional space that opened after the red card. Such a development of the match is important for assessing form because it shows that Belgium did not wait for the opponent’s mistake, but actively built its advantage. Trossard’s early goal in the context of the match reduced the pressure, De Ketelaere’s goal brought control, and De Bruyne’s strike marked the turning point after which Tunisia no longer had a realistic path back. The closing goals by Lukébakio and Raskin gave the result a weight that matched Belgium’s dominance in the final stages.
What the victory means for Belgium, and what the defeat means for Tunisia
For Belgium, this match confirmed several important elements ahead of the World Cup: attacking rhythm, bench depth, goalkeeper solidity and the ability to punish the opponent’s lack of discipline. According to Real Madrid’s report, Thibaut Courtois played the entire match and kept a clean sheet, which is additionally important for Belgium ahead of a tournament in which details will often decide matches. At the same time, scorers from several lines give Garcia a better negotiating position when choosing the starting lineup, because form is not concentrated only in attack. Against Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, Belgium will probably face different tactical requirements, and the match against Tunisia showed that it can change rhythm and intensity without losing control. The greatest caution, however, remains necessary because a friendly match, even a convincing one, cannot fully simulate the pressure of the competitive opening of the World Cup.
For Tunisia, the Brussels defeat is above all material for urgent correction. The team was punished against Belgium because of a lack of outlet solutions, insufficient control between the lines and a disciplinary drop that opened space for the late scoreline gap. Ahead of the duels with Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands, such weaknesses require a quick reaction because all three opponents can punish lost balls and poor positioning in transition. The only positive side for Tunisia may be that the match came before the start of the tournament, at a moment when the staff still has room for tactical adjustments and conversations with the players. Belgium, on the other hand, left Brussels with a convincing victory, a broad list of scorers and clear confirmation that it is approaching the final part of preparations in a significantly better mood.
Sources:
- Ahram Online / AFP – report on the Belgium - Tunisia 5:0 match, scorers, sending-off and the context of preparations for the World Cup (link)
- UEFA – official match data, referees, match record, registered players and head coaches (link)
- City of Brussels – official event preview at the King Baudouin Stadium and information that it was Belgium’s final home preparatory match before the World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official schedule and groups of the 2026 World Cup for Belgium and Tunisia, and basic tournament information (link)
- GhanaSoccernet – additional description of the goals, possession and shots in the friendly match (link)
- Real Madrid CF – club post about Thibaut Courtois’s appearance and Belgium’s victory against Tunisia (link)