France v Belgium headlines Nations League night in Paris
France face Belgium in Paris on Monday 5 October with top spot in their Nations League group on the line.
It is a quick rematch. France won 1-0 away in Belgium in the week before the Paris meeting, and Belgium arrive one point behind France with a better goal difference ahead of kick-off at 8pm BST The Guardian.
The game is a League A Group A1 fixture on Matchday 4 UEFA. League A is the competition's top tier, where the group winners go forward to the knockout stage and the bottom side faces relegation. France, Italy, Belgium and Türkiye make up Group A1 in this fifth edition, which got under way in September 2026.
France edged the last meeting through Michael Olise. His winner came in the 88th minute of the fixture reported on 28 September 2026 Reuters. That was enough. Belgium could not find a reply.
France then drew 1-1 with Italy in Paris on 2 October. They finished that game with 10 men. Italy had earlier lost 0-2 to Belgium and then beaten Turkey 4-1 away on 28 September, a lively start that left the group tight.
Belgium's response has been strong. They beat Italy 2-0 in an earlier fixture reported in early October 2026, then defeated Turkey 3-0. Kevin De Bruyne scored Belgium's second goal against Turkey. Mark van Bommel has started his new managerial job with wins away to Italy and at home to Turkey.
The rest of Monday's card is busy. Italy hosted Turkey, while Northern Ireland hosted Georgia, Ukraine faced Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina met Poland and Romania entertained Sweden.
Northern Ireland against Georgia is a League B Group B2 fixture. Northern Ireland are pushing for promotion, which in this competition means moving up a league for the next edition. They beat Georgia 1-0 in an earlier fixture reported in early October 2026, then won 3-0 to boost that promotion bid. UEFA records that 3-0 win as coming against Ukraine.
There is history around the dugouts too. Didier Deschamps spent 14 years in charge of the France national team. Zinedine Zidane won two La Liga titles and three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid.
What makes this stand out is the simplicity. Beat your nearest rival twice in eight days and the group opens up. Lose, and Paris feels very different. For fans, this is the Nations League at its best: a proper rivalry, a full house, and something real at stake in October.
