Belgium thrashed Liechtenstein 7-0 in Liège to secure top spot in Group J and confirm their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After being held to a draw in Kazakhstan on Saturday, Belgium still needed a strong performance to guarantee qualification. Facing a lowly Liechtenstein side, the Red Devils quickly justified their status as favourites.

The opener came just three minutes in, when captain Youri Tielemans’ cross took a deflection off a defender and looped to Hans Vanaken, who nodded home at the back post.

Belgium dominated from the outset, keeping Liechtenstein trapped in their own penalty area. Tielemans saw an effort cleared off the line by Andreas Malin, while Thomas Meunier’s follow-up was comfortably held by goalkeeper Benjamin Büchel.

The breakthrough continued after 31 minutes when Alexis Saelemaekers’ cutback was slotted home first-time by Jeremy Doku. The Manchester City forward added a second soon after, weaving past two defenders before firing a low, precise shot into the net following a stray clearance.

Belgium showed no signs of slowing after the break. Seven minutes into the second half, Tielemans provided another exquisite ball, allowing Brandon Mechele to stab home from Charles De Ketelaere’s flick-on for his first international goal.

The onslaught continued, with three more goals before the hour mark. Saelemaekers capitalised on a goalkeeper error to score, before De Ketelaere added a quickfire brace—first finishing from a tight angle and then flicking home a Meunier volley.

The 7-0 scoreline surpassed Belgium’s six-goal victory in Vaduz in September, another night to forget for the 206th-ranked Liechtenstein, who conceded 31 goals in qualifying without scoring.

With this emphatic win, Belgium will head to North America next summer for their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup.