Belgium are without De Bruyne and Tielemans, and Zidane still needs a first home win as France coach
France host Belgium at the Stade de France on Monday night with top spot in Group A1 at stake, and both sides missing key players through injury or suspension.
Oct 5, 2026
Zinedine Zidane is still waiting for a home win as France coach. His first game at the Stade de France ended 1-1 with Italy on Friday, and on Monday night, 5 October, he gets a second go against Belgium, the side France beat in Brussels a week ago. Kick-off in Saint-Denis is 8.45pm local time, which is 12.15am IST on Tuesday.
France lead Group 1 of League A with seven points. Belgium are one behind on six after a 3-0 win over Turkiye in Liege, so a Belgian win would take them top.
Belgium lose De Bruyne and Tielemans
The bigger blow is on the Belgian side. Kevin De Bruyne scored twice against Turkiye, the first after ten minutes and the second a curler from distance on the hour, and then got himself booked late on for an angry reaction to a foul. It was his second yellow card of the campaign after one in the 1-0 defeat to France, and that means a one-match ban. Captain Youri Tielemans is out for the same reason.
Mark van Bommel called the pair very important to his side, said it was unfortunate to lose them, and insisted the rest of the squad were capable of filling in. Of De Bruyne’s booking, he said: “Kevin was simply frustrated and, in my opinion, didn’t even realise the consequences of the yellow card.” He also said Leandro Trossard has fully recovered, and that Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Raskin can play together in midfield.
Romelu Lukaku, an unused substitute in Brussels, came off the bench to score the third against Turkiye from a Charles De Ketelaere pass. With De Bruyne missing, he could get a start.
France without Mbappe and Upamecano
France have problems of their own. Kylian Mbappe is still out with the knee injury he picked up in the opening win in Turkiye. Dayot Upamecano was sent off late against Italy for a second yellow card and has already gone back to Bayern Munich.
The Italy game was not the night Zidane wanted. Michael Olise put France ahead with a free-kick, but Alessandro Bastoni equalised after an Adrien Rabiot error, and Gianluigi Donnarumma made seven saves to keep France out.
Zidane has promised changes for the last game of the window. “There will be changes, that’s for sure. It is our fourth match, and we can’t just do anything,” he said. “We will make smart changes, and above all, we will do it to be competitive.” He also said Belgium “played very well in the first match against us and caused us tactical difficulties.”
France have won the last six
The recent record is all one way. France have won the last six meetings, and Belgium have not beaten them since June 2015. The most recent of those France wins came in Brussels on 28 September, when Olise came off the bench and scored with two minutes left after Zidane had made nine changes. That result levelled the all-time series at 30 wins each, with 19 draws, so a France win on Monday would put them ahead in the all-time record.
Italy host Turkiye in Bologna at the same time, and Italy are on four points, so a win in Bologna and a draw in Paris would leave three teams separated by one point by Tuesday morning in India.
I would make France favourites again. They have more depth than Belgium even with Mbappe out, and Belgium without De Bruyne lose the player who makes most of their good moves happen. But this French side have won both their away games and drawn their only home game, and Belgium only need a win to go top. A draw would suit France more than it would suit Van Bommel.