The 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign visits Monday, October 13th, 2025, with a double-header of high-pressure European action. Wales welcomes Belgium in a group-concluding Group J tie which will guarantee the group's automatic qualification, before Portugal aims to secure the perfect opening as it entertains Hungary in Lisbon.

These games are vital, with the build-up for a nail-biting finish to the qualifying competition. Wales and Belgium are in a three-way battle for top spot, whilst Portugal are seeking perfection and trying to secure their place at the World Cup finals.

• Date: Monday, October 13th, 2025

• Kick-off Time: 18:45 UTC

• Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff

• Competition: World Cup Qualifying – Europe (Matchday 8)

Wales head into this crisis match with their World Cup destiny in their own hands, though, with inconsistent recent form.

• Form: Wales' recent form has been W-L-W-L-L, losing three of their last five matches. That featured a 3-0 friendly defeat against England last week.

• Resilience Highlight: The Dragons are as well placed for the play-offs as it is possible to be, but three home victories out of their remaining matches would guarantee automatic qualification. Of particular significance, however, is that the side has lost none of the past three home fixtures against Belgium (W1, D2).

• Home Fortress: Wales are unbeaten at competitive home matches (within 90 minutes) since June 2023 (W6, D3).

Belgium is under pressure after a surprise draw but remain unbeaten during this qualifying campaign.

• Form: Belgium's recent competitive form is W-W-W-D-D, and their latest result was a disappointing 0-0 draw with North Macedonia on Friday.

• Inconsistency: Their last competitive match with Wales was a shambolic 4-3 win for Belgium, where they came close to losing a three-goal lead, again showing underlying defensive weaknesses under manager Rudi Garcia.

• Attack Power: Belgium has scored 17 goals in four Group J games, showing their dominant attacking power.

The last five head-to-head statistics reveal that this is a very competitive fixture, with the home team favoring to hold their own in Cardiff.

• Infamous Upset: Wales infamously defeated Belgium 3-1 in Euro 2016 quarterfinals.

• Goals Expected: Both teams have scored in the previous six games, and both teams have scored in four of the previous five games.

Injuries & Suspensions: Wales skipper Ben Davies will win his 100th cap against Belgium. Talismanic winger Sorba Thomas is expected to come back in from a break against England. Dan James is injured and a doubt. Youri Tielemans and Timothy Castagne are missing for Belgium. Kevin De Bruyne will be a real threat, scoring the winner in their last competitive encounter.

Wales Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):

Ward, Roberts, Rodon, Lockyer, Davies, Ampadu, Sheehan, Johnson, Wilson, Thomas, Moore.

Belgium Predicted XI (4-3-3):

Casteels, De Cuyper, Faes, Vertonghen, Castagne, Tielemans, Onana, De Bruyne, Trossard, Doku, De Ketelaere.

De Bruyne vs. Ampadu/Morrell: Wales' midfield will need to keep Kevin De Bruyne from getting through, as his through-balls and creativity are Belgium's biggest threat on offence.

Wales' Counterattack: Wales' sole hope lies in the pace of Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson exploiting the slow-turning Belgian defense, particularly on rapid transitions.

• Date: Tuesday, October 14th, 2025

• Kick-off Time: 18:45 UTC (19:45 BST)

• Venue: Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon

• Competition: World Cup Qualifying – Europe (Matchday 8)

Portugal is enjoying a flawless World Cup qualifying campaign under manager Roberto Martínez.

• Record: Portugal has a perfect record of three victories from three matches in Group F, easily atop the pile.

• Recent Form: They defeated Hungary 3-2 and thrashed Armenia 5-0 in their last two qualifiers.

• Home Fortress: The Selecão have won their last six successive home matches, achieving a 100% winning start to this WCQ campaign.

Hungary is battling to remain in the second-place play-off position following a patchy beginning.

• Form: Hungary possess one win, one draw, and one defeat in the group. Their form in the league is D-L-D-L-L.

• Resilience: They demonstrated great resilience in the reverse game, coming back from behind to bring the game level at 2-2 against Portugal before they added a late winner.

Portugal has one of the best head-to-head records in international football against Hungary.

Overall, Dominance: Hungary have never won any of the past 15 H2Hs against Portugal, a run that stretches over over 60 years.

Goal Streak: Seven out of Portugal's eight recent H2H goals have come after half-time, suggesting that they rip the Hungarian defense to shreds in the second half of the game.

Injuries & Suspensions: Portugal will miss the services of João Cancelo (suspension) and João Neves (injury). Cristiano Ronaldo (3 goals in the last 2 qualifiers) remains the fulcrum.

Hungary Injuries/Suspensions: Hungarian team is severely affected by injuries. Barnabás Varga will return after serving a suspension against Armenia. Dominik Szoboszlai is the playmaker.

Portugal Predicted XI (4-3-3):

Costa, Dalot, Dias, Antunes, Mendes, Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Ramos, Félix.

Hungary Predicted XI (3-4-3):

Dibusz, Lang, Orbán, Szalai, Kerkez, Nagy, Nego, Szoboszlai, Sallai, Ádám, Németh.

Winner Odds:

Win Probability for the Match Between Wales and Belgium:

Win Probability for the Match Between Portugal and Hungary:

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This match is very unpredictable on the basis of the trend of close matches and Belgium's inconsistent defense. The charged nature of the match at Cardiff and Wales's eagerness for a win will carry the home side. Belgium carries better talent but exposed their defensive shortcomings in the second game. We predict a high-scoring, nerve-tingling draw that keeps the group very much alive.

• Final Score Prediction: Wales 2 - 2 Belgium

Portugal's flawless record against Hungary and the rhythm of their World Cup qualifying campaign confer on them the runaway favorite tag. Hungary's defense was rubbish in the reverse game, and they will likely sit deep to limit the damage. Portugal's attacking firepower and the unrelenting goal-scoring by Cristiano Ronaldo should enable them to stroll to victory.

• Final Score Prediction: Portugal 3 - 0 Hungary

These two World Cup qualifiers will be central to the quest to the 2026 World Cup. A win for Portugal will effectively secure their qualification, and the Cardiff game will present a thrilling last series of fixtures in Group J.