Wales boss Bellamy excited by Belgium challenge in bid for World Cup

WALES boss Craig Bellamy is relishing the chance to record another famous success against Belgium after being drawn against the familiar foes in World Cup qualifying.

The Welsh head coach was present to watch the draw for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Wales are in a group featuring Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein as they aim to qualify for a second successive World Cup.

Wales met Belgium in qualifying for the last World Cup, and even more recently in the 2022 Nations League.

They famously beat Belgium 3-1 to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016, but have not won any of the subsequent four meetings.

Group stage matches will be played between March and November next year with the 12 group winners qualifying with the four remaining spots decided by play-offs.

Bellamy, who was an assistant coach at Anderlecht, said: "To get Belgium is great; I lived in Brussels for three years so that's nice, there's few players I was involved with, like Jeremy [Doku] and Zeno Debast, so it will be nice to see them.

"It's a team I know very well, a team I've watched quite a lot of especially in the last five, six years.

"North Macedonia is a different challenge, Kazakhstan we've never drawn before, so travel and what it will entail will be very different, Liechtenstein... I'm happy, I have to be honest, it's a good group.

"We're going to have to do our homework really well, and hopefully try and attack and finish top of the group."

Wales, fresh from Nations League promotion, will get their campaign under way swiftly rather than having to fit in friendlies like those in four-team groups.

"I'm happy with the five teams, it gets the competition going very quick, and that's what I wanted, I wanted five teams, so that's a real positive," said Bellamy.

Thomas Tuchel’s England have been drawn against Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.

Scotland are in a four-team group, and will face whichever team loses the Nations League quarter-final tie between Portugal and Denmark, along with Greece and Belarus.

The Republic of Ireland have been drawn against the winner of the Portugal v Denmark Nations League tie, along with Hungary and Romania.

Northern Ireland will face either Germany or Italy plus Slovakia and Luxembourg.