Belgium is experiencing a sense of significant relief after securing passage to the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup, by beating New Zealand 5-1 and securing top spot in the group. The expectation in the Belgian press is that the team will at least reach the semi-finals, although some criticism persists regarding coach Rudi García.
After difficulties in scoring against Egypt and Iran, the team showed a great performance against New Zealand. The "Arsenal" version of Leandro Trossard, the "useful" Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku were highlighted by the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. However, it was noted that Lukaku should have entered the field earlier, as he was only used in the 85th minute, but he still managed to score a goal and provide an assist.
Marc Degryse, sports analyst, expressed his confidence: "I'm counting on a semi-final, with all due respect for the opponents that lie ahead." To achieve this goal, Belgium will have to be up to the task, facing Senegal, South Korea, Austria or Algeria in the round of 32 stage. If they advance, the next challenge will be against the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina. "It's true that every game at a World Cup is complicated, but if they play against opponents of that caliber, we would have to consider the tournament a failure," said Degryse.
García received praise, but also criticism. The coach considered it unacceptable that players like Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Trossard were nicknamed "has-beens". "I found your reaction at the press conference a little strange," commented Degryse. "The criticism after the first two games was actually quite moderate. If he felt uncomfortable about it, it would be better to give concrete examples. So it leaves everything open. I would say: calm down, Rudi. In terms of press criticism, we still live in a pretty calm country."
Belgium will return to the field at the World Cup on July 1st, awaiting the definition of their opponent in the round of 16 phase.