Belgium has been placed in an easy group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. However, the downside is that matches in the group with Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein are unlikely to attract large crowds to the stadiums.

There are concerns about filling the national stadium

From a ticket sales perspective, some matches might be difficult to sell, admits Peter Willems in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. The CEO of the Belgian Football Association does not rule out the possibility of holding some of these matches at locations other than the Stade Roi Baudouin. I believe it's worth taking this opportunity to play in other stadiums where the crowd is closer to the players, and where the connection with the fans will be stronger. In this sense, the draw opens up some perspectives.

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We can't fill Stade Roi Baudouin for every opponent. This is a great opportunity to tour the country with the Devils and play in other stadiums, in front of full stands, concludes Peter Willems. Built in Brussels between 1929 and 1930, Stade Roi Baudouin has a capacity of 49,825 seats. Since its inception, the stadium has regularly hosted the national football team’s matches, effectively becoming Belgium's national stadium. Since the first post-war edition (1953/54), the stadium has also hosted almost all Belgian Cup finals.

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Alarming number of stadium bans

However, the unexciting opponents in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are not the only issue for Belgium. Over the last five football seasons, authorities have imposed the equivalent of 4,700 years of stadium bans for violations of the law, according to information provided by Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden. This number was obtained by CD&V MP Franky Demon from the minister, who is also his party colleague. The parliamentarian emphasizes the need for greater protection for stewards.

Over the last five seasons in clubs participating in the 1A and 1B leagues, as many as 4,658 administrative sanctions were imposed for violations of football laws. These sanctions correspond to 56,885 months of stadium bans and fines totaling 2.73 million euros. The number of bans varies between 600 and 1,200 each year.

MP Demon points out that clubs in the 1A and 1B leagues do not register cases where stewards have to confiscate items from supporters, nor cases where a supporter refuses to surrender them and is prevented from entering the stadium, nor the number of confiscated items. According to him, these issues are being discussed in government negotiations.

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