Belgium beat Slovenia to take the lead of Group 11

Steven Dillien's sixth goal, scored in the 39th minute, sealed Belgium's 2-6 victory over Slovenia in Ljubljana. This triumph, achieved on Tuesday, was part of the Cup qualifiers for Belgium, during the third qualifying match for the 2028 futsal World Cup, group 11.

After a 2-2 draw in Antwerp last Wednesday against the same Slovenians, the Belgians went to collect the three points in Ljubljana. By the quarter-hour, the score was already 0-3 thanks to the efforts of Steven Dillien (11th minute), Abdelhakim Hachad (11th minute) and Hamza Lagrib (14th minute).

After the break, the Slovenians reduced the margin to 1-3 via Teo Turk in the 21st minute. Julien Mbazoa allowed the Belgians to quickly regain a three‑goal lead, in the 25th minute, bringing the score to 1-4. Ziga Ceh brought Slovenia back to 2-4 in the 30th minute.

Abdelhakim Hachad scored his second goal in the 38th minute, bringing the score to 2-5. Steven Dillien rounded off the evening with his second goal in the 39th minute, finalising the 2-6.

With this success, Karim Bachar's men total seven points and secure first place in the group, thus qualifying for the elite round. With a three‑point lead over Slovenia and positive results in head‑to‑head matches, the Belgians can no longer be overtaken. The Belgians had won their first match 3-4 in Norway and will host the Norwegians on March 2 in the final day of the main qualification round.

Qualification for the elite round

The twelve group winners and the four best runners‑up qualify for the elite round. The other eight runners‑up qualify for the main round playoffs. The elite round will bring together twenty teams (five groups of four) between September and December 2027.

At the end of that, seven European teams (the five group winners, plus one or two places after a playoff in April 2028) will qualify for the 2028 World Cup. If a European nation is selected and receives an automatic spot, the European elite round will allocate six tickets. The source text mentions the name Tom and the Discover button. The text belongs to the Sports Football section.