Belgium sent off Tunisia with five goals and completed its preparations with a clear message for the World Cup
The Belgian national football team concluded the final part of its preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a convincing 5:0 victory over Tunisia at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The match was played on Saturday, June 6, 2026, and according to Sky Sports data, there were 40,236 spectators in the stands. Belgium opened the match patiently, but with clear control of possession and rhythm, and took the lead through a goal by Leandro Trossard in the 28th minute. In the second half, the home team used its broader squad, physical freshness and playing superiority and, after Ismaël Gharbi was sent off, completely broke the opponent. The goals for the final 5:0 were scored by Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin, with which Belgium rounded off a preparation cycle in which it had already defeated Croatia several days earlier.
A match that was under Belgian control until the breakthrough
Belgium played against Tunisia as a national team that wanted to confirm continuity of form, not merely complete its final test before traveling to the tournament. According to the Sky Sports report, Trossard scored in the 28th minute, De Ketelaere in the 53rd, De Bruyne in the 65th, Lukebakio in the 85th and Raskin in the 87th minute. Such a sequence of goals shows that the match had a competitive tone for a long time, but also that the Belgian bench maintained an intensity in the closing stages that Tunisia could not follow. In the first half, Tunisia managed to avoid a larger deficit, but it did not find enough solutions in playing out of pressure, nor did it seriously force the Belgian defense into a longer period of uncertainty. The host had a minimal but deserved lead at the break, and the second half turned the difference in quality and squad depth into an emphatic result.
The key moment of the match occurred in the 62nd minute, when Ismaël Gharbi, according to the report by Ahram Online citing AFP, was sent off for a second yellow card. Belgium was already leading 2:0 at that point, but the numerical advantage additionally opened space for quicker combinations, runs from deeper positions and a finish in which Tunisia found it increasingly difficult to get out of its own third. De Bruyne scored for 3:0 only three minutes after the red card, practically removing any doubt about the winner. Lukebakio and Raskin took advantage of the opponent’s drop in concentration in the closing stages and confirmed that Belgium does not depend only on its starting eleven. For coach Rudi Garcia, that was an important signal because at a major tournament, especially in the new format with 48 national teams, squad depth often becomes just as important as the quality of the main stars.
De Bruyne as the anchor, Doku as a constant source of danger
The report by Diario AS particularly highlighted the role of Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku in Belgium’s play. Belgium built a large part of its attacks through control of the middle of the pitch and quick changes of rhythm, while Doku constantly dragged the opposing defense toward himself on the left side and opened space for runs by Trossard, De Ketelaere and the midfielders. Such a pattern was visible already with the opening goal, when Tunisia had to concentrate more players around the zone from which the greatest danger was coming, but failed to close down the end of the move. De Bruyne’s goal for 3:0 came at a moment when the match had already begun to fall apart for the visitors, but his performance had broader significance than the goal itself. Belgium needed confirmation that the experienced playmaker can control the tempo ahead of the World Cup, make decisions under pressure and at the same time remain a direct threat to the opponent’s goal.
Alongside De Bruyne, De Ketelaere also had an important role, as his goal at the beginning of the second half broke the possibility of a Tunisian return to the match. His goal was particularly valuable because, ahead of the tournament, Belgium is trying to distribute attacking responsibility among several players, rather than reduce the finishing phase exclusively to Romelu Lukaku. According to UEFA’s player list for the match, the Belgian squad also included Thibaut Courtois, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Leandro Trossard, Jérémy Doku, Dodi Lukebakio, Charles De Ketelaere, Romelu Lukaku and Nicolas Raskin, which confirms the breadth of options available to Garcia. That does not mean that all dilemmas have been resolved, especially regarding the balance between experience and freshness in attack, but the victory over Tunisia showed that Belgium can be dangerous from several lines. When five different scorers get on the scoresheet in the final test, the message to opponents is not only that the team is efficient, but also that it is difficult to predict where the next blow will come from.
Continuation of a positive run after the victory in Rijeka
This victory followed Belgium’s triumph over Croatia in Rijeka, where Rudi Garcia’s team celebrated a 2:0 win on June 2, 2026. According to the HRT report, Youri Tielemans opened the scoring in the 38th minute, and Romelu Lukaku confirmed the victory with a goal in the 96th minute. That match was important for two reasons: Belgium kept a clean sheet away against a quality European opponent, and Lukaku marked his return to the national team squad with a late goal. After that, the duel with Tunisia brought another match without conceding a goal, which is just as valuable for the Belgian staff as the five goals scored. A national team that in recent years has often been viewed through the prism of missed opportunities and generational change has now gained two matches in which it simultaneously built rhythm, security and competitive confidence.
In its final preparation appearances, Belgium sent a different image from the one often associated with it after disappointments at major competitions. It is not only about individual names, but about an attempt to organize the team as a more stable whole, with a clearer relationship between creative players, a running-powerful midfield and a defense that does not constantly have to defend deep spaces. According to the Spanish report, Courtois had a very calm match against Tunisia, which is a good sign for Belgium because it shows that the pressure in front of the back line is working. At the same time, the fact that players who are not necessarily the first choice in every combination also got on the scoresheet gives the coach additional options for rotations. At a tournament played in different cities, climatic conditions and time zones, such flexibility can have great practical value.
Tunisia left without an answer after the red card
For Tunisia, the defeat in Brussels was a difficult end to preparations, although the result cannot be explained only by Gharbi’s sending-off. The visitors were in an inferior position even before the red card, and after they were left with ten players they lost the ability to keep the match in an acceptable rhythm. According to Ahram Online, Tunisia recorded a win against Haiti, a draw against Canada and defeats to Austria and Belgium in the preparation period before the World Cup. Such a sequence shows that the team has competitive toughness in certain phases of matches, but also that against national teams that quickly punish mistakes it must find more stability in defense and possession. In Brussels, after the second goal conceded, balance disappeared, and the closing stages opened questions about the team’s reaction when both the score and the numerical situation turn against it.
Tunisia enters the World Cup in a demanding group in which, according to FIFA’s overview of Group F, it plays against the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden. It is a group in which much more than fighting spirit and an organized block will be required from Tunisia, especially against opponents who can dominate possession or accelerate the game through the flanks. The defeat to Belgium will therefore serve the staff as a warning, but also as material for analysis before the start of the competition. In friendly matches, the result is not the only measure, but a convincing defeat immediately before a major tournament always carries psychological weight. The most important task will be to separate the circumstances linked to the sending-off from the problems that were visible even when the teams had equal numbers of players.
Belgium in a group with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand
According to FIFA’s official schedule, Belgium will open its World Cup campaign on June 15 against Egypt at Seattle Stadium. After that, on June 21 in Los Angeles it plays against Iran, and on June 27 against New Zealand in Vancouver. FIFA’s overview of Group G lists Belgium as a European national team with great experience at World Cups, but also with a clear task to improve the impression after earlier fluctuations at major tournaments. That is precisely why the victory over Tunisia must not be read as final proof of readiness for the highest goals, but as a very good opening signal. Belgium showed that it can win without conceding a goal, that it has several scorers and that its play does not fall apart when the coach changes the structure of the team during the match.
The new World Cup format, with a larger number of national teams and an additional knockout round, rewards teams that can maintain their performance level for longer than just three group matches. In such an environment, Belgium will have to find a balance between ambition and caution, because results in preparation matches do not bring points, but they shape the atmosphere and hierarchy in the dressing room. Two consecutive victories against Croatia and Tunisia give Garcia room to prepare the opener against Egypt in a calmer atmosphere. It is especially important that the positive run is not based only on individual moves, but also on defensive discipline and better connection between the lines. If Belgium transfers that pattern to competitive matches, it will enter Group G as a national team that rightly expects to advance, but also knows that more serious tests will come only when friendly matches are replaced by the pressure of the tournament.
A result that raises expectations, but does not erase caution
A convincing 5:0 victory naturally raises expectations, especially when it comes in the final appearance before the World Cup. Against Tunisia, Belgium got what coaches most often seek in the final test: goals from different players, a clean sheet, minutes for important pillars of the team and the impression that substitutes can maintain the intensity. At the same time, the coaching staff will not ignore the fact that from the 62nd minute the match was played against an opponent with one player fewer, so the final result should also be viewed through that context. The real test for De Bruyne, Doku, Trossard, Lukaku and the rest of the team arrives on June 15, when the friendly rhythm is replaced by the first group match against Egypt. Belgium heads to North America with great self-confidence, but also with the obligation to confirm in matches where mistakes will no longer have a preparatory character what it showed against Croatia and Tunisia.
Sources:
- Sky Sports – report from the Belgium - Tunisia match, final result, scorers, minutes of goals, sending-off and attendance (link)
- Ahram Online / AFP – report on Belgium’s 5:0 victory, preparation context and the groups of Tunisia and Belgium (link)
- FIFA – official overview of Group G and Belgium’s match schedule at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official overview of Group F in which Tunisia is competing (link)
- UEFA – player list and official information for the Belgium - Tunisia friendly match (link)
- HRT Glas Hrvatske – report on Belgium’s 2:0 victory against Croatia in Rijeka (link)
- STIB-MIVB – practical information about the Belgium - Tunisia match at the King Baudouin Stadium on June 6, 2026 (link)