France faces Belgium in Nations League without injured Mbappé

France faces Belgium in a UEFA Nations League Group A1 match on September 28 at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The visitors will be without injured captain Kylian Mbappé, who will miss two weeks. France will rotate their squad under new coach Zinédine Zidane, while Belgium, buoyed by a 2-0 opening win over Italy under Mark van Bommel, look to build on their strong recent form.

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UEFA Nations League Group A1 match
France missing Mbappé due to knee injury
France expected to rotate squad
Belgium won opening match 2-0 against Italy
France won opening match 1-0 against Turkey

France travels to Belgium for a UEFA Nations League Group A1 encounter on September 28, 2026, at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, with the match kicking off at 8:45 p.m. local time. The two-time world champions will be without captain Kylian Mbappé, who sustained a knee injury during France's opening 1-0 victory over Turkey and is expected to miss two weeks of action.

Under newly appointed coach Zinédine Zidane, France is expected to make significant squad rotation to evaluate players early in his tenure. Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano, and goalkeeper Mike Maignan are among the few players projected to start both France's opening match and this fixture. With Mbappé sidelined, attacking responsibilities will fall to Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, and Désiré Doué, who is expected to feature prominently on the left wing. Rabiot may wear the captain's armband in Mbappé's absence, according to reports.

Belgium, managed by Mark van Bommel in his coaching debut for the national team, arrives on the back of a commanding 2-0 away victory over Italy in their opening match. The hosts are expected to maintain much of their starting lineup from that win, with midfielder Romeo Lavia set to partner Youri Tielemans in midfield. Kevin De Bruyne continues to anchor Belgium's midfield, supported by wingers Mika Godts and Dodi Lukebakio. Leandro Trossard and goalkeeper Mike Penders are unavailable due to injuries.

Belgium has excluded Arthur Theate, Kyriani Sabbe, and Malick Fofana from the squad, bringing in Koni De Winter as a numerical replacement for Theate. Both teams enter the match in strong recent form: Belgium has won their last four international matches, while France secured three consecutive victories despite back-to-back defeats immediately before Zidane's appointment.

Statistically, recent meetings between Belgium and France have been high-scoring affairs. France have scored 2 or more goals in three consecutive UEFA Nations League A matches against Belgium, and there have been 11 or more shots on target in three of their last three encounters. Head-to-head, the sides have met 78 times, with France holding a slight advantage: 29 wins to Belgium's 30, with 19 draws.

This clash marks the first of two fixtures between the nations in this international window; the return match is scheduled for October 5 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

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#soccer #Belgium #King Baudouin Stadium #UEFA Nations League #Zidane #van Bommel #De Bruyne #football #France #Mbappé injury

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France plays Belgium in a Nations League fixture with squad rotation under newly appointed manager Zinédine Zidane and without captain Mbappé (2-week injury). Belgium arrives on a four-match winning streak and will field a largely consistent lineup from their 2-0 opening victory. The match determines early standings in Group A1 and feeds into final tournament seeding; both teams' injury status and selection patterns will signal competitive priorities heading into October's return fixture and winter break.

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