The 2026 World Cup marks a decisive turning point in the history of world football. For the first time, the planet’s greatest tournament will take place simultaneously across three nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This exceptional edition will host 48 teams instead of the traditional 32, generating 104 matches spread over 34 days of intense competition. The RTBF, Belgian public radio and television, has mobilized an unprecedented coverage device to offer Belgian viewers total immersion in this global event. No match will escape the screens, guaranteeing a complete experience of the sport of kings for every football enthusiast.
In brief:
- 104 matches broadcast live on La Une, Auvio, and VivaCité without exception
- 16 stadiums scattered between the United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the competition
- Two daily shows structure the television coverage: World Cup: The Magazine and World Cup: The Match
- 48 qualified teams for the largest edition of the tournament in history
- An important female team within the RTBF device with Anne-Sophie Depauw, Olivia Grisard, and Christine Schréder
- Daily videocast The Morning broadcast from the United States starting at 7 a.m. each morning
- Complete youth device via RTBF Tarmac and iXPé to reach all audiences
An XXL device for an exceptional tournament: how the RTBF covers the 2026 World Cup
The scale of the 2026 World Cup has pushed the RTBF to completely rethink its media coverage strategy. With 48 teams competing and 104 matches to broadcast, the Belgian public broadcaster has built an unprecedented broadcast architecture. The official kick-off of the device begins on December 5 with a crucial draw that will determine the exact schedule of the Red Devils, a major event broadcast live on the airwaves.
The coverage strategy relies on an intelligent interlocking between television, streaming, and radio. La Une remains the central pillar, while Auvio, the RTBF’s streaming platform, offers maximum accessibility to viewers on the move. VivaCité, the radio station, ensures continuity of information for those following the tournament in their car or at work. This triple approach guarantees that no Belgian supporter will miss the decisive moments.
Two flagship shows structure the daily television appointment. World Cup: The Magazine, presented by Anne-Sophie Depauw or Olivia Grisard, revolves around 8:10 p.m. each evening, offering a complete review of the Red Devils’ news and international stakes. In parallel, World Cup: The Match, hosted by Jérémie Baise or Anne-Sophie Depauw, frames all matches scheduled between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., from preview to analytical debrief. These two appointments quickly become unmissable rituals for football lovers in Belgium.
The Morning: a daily videocast directly from North America
Starting at 7 a.m. each morning, supporters can access the daily videocast The Morning on Auvio and RTBF News. This innovative format, produced directly from the United States, allows you to capture the raw energy of the tournament live. Frédéric Waseige, an inescapable consultant for international football, hosts this morning appointment surrounded by Manu Jous, Benjamin Deceuninck, and Vincent Langendries, three major figures in Belgian media coverage.
The Morning is not limited to listing the results from the night. It offers in-depth analysis of tactical dynamics, individual performances, and geopolitical tensions that run through the competition. This multidimensional approach transforms a simple recap into true decryption of the sport worldwide. Supporters thus discover the behind-the-scenes, the strategies of the coaches, and the stakes beyond simple confrontation on the field.
Women at the heart of the RTBF device: a break with media traditions
A remarkable element of the RTBF device lies in the central place occupied by women professionals in football and sports journalism. This orientation is not marginal or symbolic: it restructures the entire media coverage. Anne-Sophie Depauw and Olivia Grisard jointly host the prime-time of the tournament, embodying genuine parity within major presentation roles.
Christine Schréder takes to the field to decipher matches with recognized tactical expertise. Alessia Lombardo, a rising figure at the channel, immerses herself in the fan zones to capture the authentic atmosphere of supporters during the most lively evenings. Lise Burion will comment on matches live and host the World Cup bulletin on La Première and VivaCité, bringing her analytical insight to the key moments of the competition.
Sarah Mottard, roving special correspondent, travels through Mexico and the United States to meet expatriate Belgians and cover the tournament behind-the-scenes for RTBF News and social media. Daphné Fanon, positioned in Belgian fan zones, tells the story of supporters’ epic from their home setting. Gaëtane Vankerkom ensures reports and summaries for television newscasts alongside Christophe Delstanches and Alisson Delpierre, consolidating a transversal female presence.
Expert voices to enrich the tournament’s narrative
Caroline Hick, head of RTBF’s international newsroom, brings crucial geopolitical insight to the tournament coverage. She contextualizes each confrontation between nations, revealing the historical tensions, diplomatic stakes, and national symbolism that transcend the purely sporting dimension. This approach transforms matches into microcosms of broader geopolitical tensions.
Maëlle Trevisan, host on RTBF Tarmac, follows the musical dimension of the event, from national anthems to teams’ favorite songs. This angle, often neglected in traditional coverage, reminds us that the World Cup transcends football to become a total cultural phenomenon. Music, rituals, and collective national identity reveal essential emotional dimensions to understanding the sport.
The Red Devils in the front line: dedicated coverage of the Belgian selection
Belgium will occupy a place of honor in the RTBF coverage strategy. Frédéric Waseige, consultant on site, will directly comment on the Red Devils’ matches and the most important confrontations of the tournament. This physical presence on American soil allows total immersion in the atmosphere of the matches and the behind-the-scenes of the competition. Vincent Langendries and Benjamin Deceuninck, special correspondents in the stadiums, assume multiple responsibilities: commentaries on the Red Devils’ matches, gathering player impressions on the sideline, and coverage of other crucial confrontations up to the final in New York.
Manuel Jous continues his commitment to the national team with permanent immersion. He daily transmits the atmosphere of the group via a regular videocast and ensures commentaries of Belgium’s matches live for RTBF VivaCité. This constant proximity to the players offers a privileged window into the emotions, tensions, and group dynamics that shape sporting performances.
A schedule of key matchups for Belgium
The Red Devils will play three determining pool matches. On June 15 at 9 p.m., they will face Egypt in Seattle, the first test of this edition. On June 21 at 9 p.m., the duel against Iran will be played in Los Angeles, on the pitch of the world’s most expensive stadium, a symbolically charged confrontation. Finally, on June 27 at 5 a.m., in Vancouver, Belgium will meet New Zealand, a morning schedule that will require some adjustment for Belgian supporters. This pool phase determines access to the Round of 16 and determines the possibilities for advancement in the competition.
Eby Brouzakis will comment on matches on TV day and night, bringing his expertise to the various moments of the tournament. From the Round of 16 onwards, he will join the Red Devils and Manuel Jous to provide close coverage of the Belgians. Maxime Berger will follow the players for RTBF News, article by article, documenting the personal and collective evolution of the team. Emmanuel Debiève will enrich this narrative with historical sequences linking Mexico 86 to the present epic, 40 years after that famous semi-final.
| Date | Opponent | Time | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 15 | Egypt | 9 p.m. | Seattle | Lumen Field |
| June 21 | Iran | 9 p.m. | Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium |
| June 27 | New Zealand | 5 a.m. | Vancouver | BC Place |
The international dimensions of the tournament: beyond Belgian borders
The 2026 World Cup far transcends purely Belgian stakes. With 48 teams spread across three North American continents, the tournament presents unprecedented geopolitical complexity. Co-organization between the United States, Canada, and Mexico creates a unique regional dynamic where historical rivalries and geographic alliances structure sporting confrontations. Iran is preparing its participation in Turkey, seeking to build group momentum before facing formidable opponents.
Teams’ access to training grounds and preparation conditions become major strategic stakes. Washington welcomes the DR Congo team, a symbol of the mobilization of North American infrastructure to host African nations. These logistically seemingly minor details directly shape performances and conditions of fair competition.
Pool groups create fascinating dynamics. Group C brings together Brazil and Morocco, two nations with distinct footballing traditions and their own continental stakes. These confrontations offer spectators remarkable stylistic clashes, revealing the diversities of tactical and philosophical approaches in world football.
Geopolitical stakes woven into sport
The presence of 48 teams means that nations traditionally excluded from the tournament finally gain access to the world’s greatest stage. This expansion democratizes access to the World Cup while creating unprecedented configurations of confrontations. Small nations discover the opportunity to mark history, while the great football powers face increased pressure to justify their status.
The Mexican experience takes on particular meaning. Mexico hosts the tournament for the third time, after 1970 and 1986. This rich history creates legitimate expectations around the Aztecs’ performance and transforms each match into an emotional national stake. A monumental statue of Pelé is erected before the stadium, symbolically marking the passage of this football giant in the competition’s preparation.
Total immersion: fan zones, on-the-ground reporting, and tournament atmosphere
The fan zones constitute a central element of the RTBF device, transforming matches into immersive collective events. Daphné Fanon plunges directly into these Belgian supporter spaces, capturing the raw energy of Belgian fans gathered around large screens. These zones become sociological laboratories where national emotions crystallize, family solidarities, and celebration or disappointment rituals.
Alessia Lombardo extends this immersion by exploring fan zones during the most lively evenings, those where emotional intensity reaches its peak. She documents not only sporting performances but also the social phenomena surrounding the World Cup: how strangers transform into temporary brotherhood, how social codes recreate around the tournament, how football passion transcends usual social divides.
Sarah Mottard, special correspondent to the United States and Mexico, explores a different dimension: she meets expatriate Belgians for whom this World Cup takes on plural meanings. For some, it offers a reconnection with the mother country through a shared sporting event. For others, it creates a tension between North American identity of adoption and attachment to Belgium. These encounters humanize the tournament, transforming it from an abstract sporting stake into personal existential drama.
Reporting as windows onto the tournament’s behind-the-scenes
Beyond the matches themselves, on-the-ground reporting brings to life the invisible dimensions of the competition. The dressing rooms before matches reveal psychological preparation rituals, emotional speeches from coaches, and palpable tension before physical engagement. The tunnels leading to stadiums become symbolic passages where everyday banality transforms into solemn confrontation.
Reporting also relates the individual stories that structure the tournament. A young player experiencing his first World Cup, a veteran likely at his last chance, a coach under pressure managing conflicting egos of superstars. These human narratives give depth to the sporting spectacle, transforming competitions into personal epics whose Belgian audiences share the intimacy.
A revolutionary format: 16 stadiums across three nations to host 104 matches
The tournament geography extends over an area without precedent in the history of the World Cup. Sixteen stadiums scattered between the United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the 104 matches of competition. This geographic dispersion creates considerable logistical challenges for teams, supporters, and media. Transport delays between stadiums lengthen, time zone differences multiply, and climate conditions vary drastically depending on the regions.
From the mythical Azteca Stadium in Mexico, a temple of Mexican football history that hosted two previous world finals, to futuristic NFL American venues like the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, architectural diversity reflects the oversized ambition of the project. Each stadium tells its own footballing story, connected to distinct regional traditions and local communities.
This multiplicity of venues enriches the tournament experience but also complicates the media narrative. The RTBF must coordinate teams in constant movement, adapting its coverage to variable local conditions and staggered time zones. This logistical challenge justifies the scope of the device deployed, explaining why the RTBF has mobilized a professional armada rather than reducing its presence to a few centralized observation points.
Media infrastructure to cover extended territories
Covering three nations simultaneously requires sophisticated technological infrastructure. Video control trucks stationed around each stadium must transmit live feeds to Belgian production centers, compensating for transmission delays and risks of technical interruption. The RTBF’s technical teams work in close collaboration with North American suppliers to guarantee uninterrupted continuity of the competition.
This invisible technical architecture remains essential to implementing the RTBF’s promise: none of the 104 matches must escape Belgian viewers. Connection redundancies, transmission alternatives, and backup protocols must anticipate every potential failure scenario. This obsession with reliability reflects the seriousness with which the channel views its responsibility to its audience.
Programming designed for all audiences: from young child to seasoned supporter
The RTBF adapts its pedagogical approach according to age groups. RTBF Tarmac, the youth platform, offers adapted accessibility for the youngest thanks to Salim Azzouzi, a host capable of making football intelligible and exciting for children. iXPé and Spit complete this educational segment, creating a media ecosystem where each generation finds its entry point into the World Cup.
For the most seasoned supporters, in-depth tactical analyses explore defensive systems, offensive transitions, and strategic innovations that shape modern matches. Frédéric Waseige and his fellow consultant colleagues bring expertise that goes beyond simple game commentary, transforming each match into a masterclass in theoretical and practical football.
This public segmentation strategy recognizes that the World Cup transcends a simple sporting event to become a multigenerational cultural phenomenon. Grandparents and grandchildren can watch together, each receiving a narrative adapted to their abilities and interests. This inclusivity strengthens Belgian social fabric around a shared passion.
Narrative strategies to maintain engagement over 34 days
Maintaining supporter engagement over more than a month constitutes a considerable editorial challenge. The two daily shows structure this long journey into metabolizable stages, avoiding information oversaturation. Thematic segments vary regularly, alternating tactical analyses, human narratives, and geopolitical dimensions to continually renew viewer interest.
Specialized reporting from Sarah Mottard on the tournament behind-the-scenes creates a captivating parallel narrative for supporters eager to understand what happens off the fields. Emmanuel Debiève establishes historical continuities, linking the present competition to Belgian footballing heritage. These multifaceted approaches transform a simple sporting event into a narrative saga whose supporters savor the progressive plot twists.
Technological innovations and media consumption platforms
The RTBF recognizes that media consumption modes have fragmented. Rather than concentrating the World Cup solely on the traditional television screen, the channel offers a constellation of access points. Auvio, its streaming platform, allows supporters to follow matches from their mobile phones, tablets, or portable computers. This mobility becomes crucial in a society where few people spend long periods sitting in front of a single screen.
VivaCité transforms daily commutes into footballing experiences. A drive to work, a lunch break at the office, an evening moment of relaxation: so many occasions where national radio offers continuous information about the tournament. This radio presence reminds us that football doesn’t depend solely on moving images but can thrive through engaging vocal narrative.
RTBF News, the general digital platform, aggregates articles, short videos, infographics, and real-time statistics. This informational architecture satisfies curious supporters hungry for detailed data on individual performances, possession statistics, and standings evolution. Each of these platforms fulfills a specific function in the RTBF media constellation, ensuring that no supporter remains without access to the 2026 World Cup.
Social media as an extension of media narrative
Beyond formal platforms, social media become organic extensions of RTBF coverage. Sarah Mottard feeds Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter accounts with raw and emotional content, capturing authentic behind-the-scenes moments. These social media posts create continuous conversation between supporters and the media institution, transforming the World Cup into an interactive event rather than simple one-way transmission.
Hashtags unite Belgian supporters around common keywords, creating participatory culture where everyone becomes potential content producer. A supporter films his fan zone and shares his experience under an official RTBF hashtag, contributing to a collective mosaic of the competition. This democratization of narrative enriches the experience of the entire community, transforming the simple audience into co-creator actors of the tournament’s story.
Where can I watch the 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup in Belgium?
All 104 matches will be broadcast live on La Une, Auvio (streaming platform), and VivaCité (radio). The RTBF has guaranteed that no match would escape Belgian viewers, offering complete coverage of the tournament.
What times are the Red Devils matches scheduled?
Belgium will face Egypt on June 15 at 9 p.m. in Seattle, Iran on June 21 at 9 p.m. in Los Angeles, and New Zealand on June 27 at 5 a.m. in Vancouver. These schedules can be consulted in detail on the RTBF website.
What daily shows structure the RTBF tournament coverage?
Two flagship shows frame the coverage: World Cup: The Magazine at 8:10 p.m. each evening for the recap, and World Cup: The Match which frames all matches scheduled between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. A daily videocast The Morning is also available starting at 7 a.m. on Auvio.
What major personalities from RTBF will cover the 2026 World Cup?
Anne-Sophie Depauw, Olivia Grisard, Christine Schréder, Lise Burion, and Frédéric Waseige form the pillars of the coverage. Sarah Mottard, Alessia Lombardo, and other reporters complete the team from the stadiums, fan zones, and behind-the-scenes of the tournament.
How can I access reports from the tournament’s behind-the-scenes?
Sarah Mottard offers regular reports on RTBF News and social media, covering the tournament behind-the-scenes, meetings with expatriate Belgians, and human dimensions of the competition beyond the fields.