Match Overview
The Matchday 5 fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament between the national teams of Liechtenstein and Belgium is set to take place on September 4 at the Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz. This preview offers an in-depth look at the Liechtenstein vs Belgium encounter, including predictions, betting odds, and key statistics.
Liechtenstein Team Analysis
Under the guidance of Konrad Fünfstück, Liechtenstein’s national team has endured a challenging start to the current qualification campaign, suffering three consecutive defeats. Overall, Liechtenstein’s struggles in World Cup qualifiers are evident, with nine straight losses during which they’ve failed to register a single goal. Furthermore, in only two of these matches did the team manage to lose by a margin of less than three goals. Currently, the national side occupies the bottom position in their group.
Key Statistics for Liechtenstein
- The national team has lost 13 consecutive home matches in World Cup qualifiers in regular time.
- The team has failed to score in regular time in 12 of their last 13 home qualifying fixtures.
- Liechtenstein has conceded more than three goals in regular time in only 2 of their last 8 home World Cup qualifiers.
Liechtenstein’s Projected Lineup (5-3-2)
Benjamin Büchel – Jens Hofer, Felix Oberwaditzer, Niklas Beck, Lars Traber, Maximilian Göppel – Nicolas Hasler, Simon Lüchinger, Aron Sele – Dennis Salanović, Ferhat Saglam.
Belgium Team Analysis
In their previous outing, Rudy Garcia’s squad secured a hard-fought 4:3 victory over Wales on home turf. This result extended Belgium’s impressive unbeaten streak in World Cup qualifiers to 30 matches, comprising 24 wins and 6 draws. However, it’s worth noting that in 9 of their last 11 World Cup qualifying encounters, the team managed to score more than once. With only two matches played in the current qualification cycle, Belgium currently sits in third place with four points.
Key Statistics for Belgium
- The team has won 12 of their last 15 away matches in World Cup qualifiers in regular time.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 6 of their last 7 away qualifying games in this campaign.
- No more than three goals were scored in regular time in 6 of Belgium’s last 8 away World Cup qualifiers.
Belgium’s Projected Lineup (4-5-1)
Thibaut Courtois – Thomas Meunier, Koni De Winter, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper – Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans, Kevin De Bruyne, Timon Vanhautte, Jérémy Doku – Michy Batshuayi.
Team News
Striker Romelu Lukaku has not been called up to the squad due to injury.
Match Officials
Referee: Morten Krogh (Denmark)
Matches officiated – 12 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 53;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties awarded – 25%.
Main Match Prediction: Liechtenstein – Belgium
Analysis of Liechtenstein’s Form
In my estimation, despite the significant class disparity with their upcoming opponent, Liechtenstein is quite capable of avoiding an overly heavy defeat at home. Over their last eight home matches in World Cup qualifiers, the team has never allowed opponents to win by more than a four-goal margin. In fact, in seven of these encounters, the goal difference was a maximum of three goals.
Analysis of Belgium’s Form
While the Belgians have consistently performed well in World Cup qualifiers for many years, they have rarely secured truly dominant victories in recent times. In their last eight away matches in this qualifying campaign, the national team has claimed five wins, yet only two of these saw them triumph by a margin of more than one goal. Furthermore, Belgium has only managed to win an away World Cup qualifier by a margin of at least five goals once in the 21st century.
My prediction: Liechtenstein with a Handicap (+4.5) with odds of 1.90 
Author: Dmitry Shchurko
Mark Thompson