Belgium host Italy on Sunday in a UEFA Nations League group stage match that can redraw the shape of Group A1 in one night. Italy can move on by avoiding defeat at Stade Roi Baudouin, while Belgium must take all three points to make sure it reaches the last eight.
That is why the match is being searched now: it is not a routine group game, but a direct check on who keeps playing beyond Sunday. Italy are in the driving seat and a win would guarantee first place, helped by a superior head-to-head record with France. Belgium, though, can still finish top if it beats Italy and France drops points at home against Türkiye.
Roberto Mancini arrives with momentum after returning to the Italy dugout and watching his side beat France 3–1. That result underlined why Italy can still frame this as a job in hand, even if the arithmetic is blunt. They are ahead, but they cannot lose and still expect to progress.
The reverse fixture in September offered a reminder of how quickly the balance can swing. Belgium won that match 2–0, and Mark van Bommel was on his dugout debut that day, a detail that still matters because the same teams now return with qualification on the line rather than just points.
For viewers, the broadcast picture is spread across several services. fuboTV is available in the United States and Canada, ViX also carries the match in the United States, and audiences in Canada can use VIVA, DAZN and TLN. In Mexico, the options are Sky Sports and izzi, while those in the United Kingdom will have to pay £2.49 to watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
After Sunday, Belgium and Italy will not return to action until March 2027. That gives this meeting a heavier edge than a standard group-stage fixture: one side can seal its place in the last eight, the other can still force its way through, and the result will hang over both teams for a long time.
