The Belgium women’s national football team missed out on a World Cup berth on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, after losing a penalty shootout to Poland following a 3-2 defeat in regular play, sporza.be reported. Holding a slim advantage from the opening leg of the qualification tie, the Red Flames surrendered their lead during a chaotic evening in Poland that ultimately ended their tournament dreams and brought an end to head coach Elisabet Gunnarsdottir’s tenure.
Early Setbacks and First-Half Blows in Poland
Entering the decisive leg, the Red Flames knew their objective: preserve a clean sheet in Poland to secure advancement to the next round of World Cup preliminaries. The opening minutes featured a tense stalemate, punctuated by a promising early chance when Polish goalkeeper Seweryn denied a header from Mariam Toloba. As the half progressed, however, the home side seized the momentum. Lowiese Seynhaeve made two initial saves before breaking under pressure during a corner kick in the closing minutes of the half. Failing to cleanly gather the delivery, Seynhaeve watched as Poland’s star forward Ewa Pajor headed in the opening goal to put her side up 1-0. Pajor nearly doubled the advantage before the interval, striking the crossbar with another header.
Late-Game Swings and Extra-Time Drama
Belgium responded swiftly after the break. Five minutes into the second half, debutant substitute Amy Littel redirected a free kick from Tessa Wullaert through the legs of Seweryn, leveling the score at 1-1 and temporarily restoring Belgium’s virtual qualification status. The momentum shifted again when Poland reclaimed the lead through Tomasiak, whose shot from outside the penalty area beat Seynhaeve at the near post. A VAR review subsequently overturned an apparent Polish goal for offside, but Poland soon notched a legitimate second through Tomasiak. Trailing and defending desperately through the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Flames managed to force extra time when Jarne Teulings converted another Wullaert set-piece to make it 2-2. With just five minutes remaining in the extra period, Pajor slipped behind the Belgian defensive line and scrambled in a rebound after an initial stop by Seynhaeve, pushing Poland ahead 3-2 and sending the fixture to penalties.
Penalty Shootout Disappointment and Coaching Departure
The shootout began with promise for Belgium as Tessa Wullaert converted her spot-kick via the goalkeeper’s hands and the post. However, missed attempts from Jarne Teulings and Luna Vanzeir stalled the comeback. Although Seynhaeve saved an effort from Pajor—echoing her penalty stop from the previous week—subsequent conversions by Poland’s Amy Littel and Justine Cayman kept the Flames mathematically alive. Ultimately, Seynhaeve was unable to stop Poland’s fifth penalty, sealing a 4-3 shootout defeat. According to sporza.be, the elimination marks the end of Elisabet Gunnarsdottir’s time as head coach of the Red Flames.
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