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VIDEO SHOWS: U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM TRAINING, SOUNDBITES FROM PLAYERS AND COACH/ SENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY. SHOWS: AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 2. (SOUNDBITE)(English) WESTON MCKENNIE, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Texas heat is definitely different heat than anywhere else. Even me, I'm trying to sweat a little bit more, so I got a sweater on, but it's not the best idea for training. So, I would say hydrate, take a lot of sodium, and it's a good thing that the game's a little bit later in the day.” 3. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRISTIAN PULISIC, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “I've been here for quite a long time and I've had a lot of experience, you know, in Europe as well. Coming into this team, obviously being one of the more experienced guys, I think it's my job to help some of the younger players and help try to lead by example as much as I can and, yeah, do my best for this team.” 5. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRISTIAN PULISIC, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “I think we want to have this, you know, take this game seriously. I think we want to go in and find ways to win. I think that's important. I think, you know, this is a really good side as well, and… Yeah, we want to prove that we can compete and come out with a good result.” 7. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHRIS RICHARDS, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Yeah, of course, I mean, any time you step on the field, you kind of have to measure yourself to the next team. And I think there's this kind of stigma that friendlies don't mean much, but for us, it means everything going into a World Cup year. So, we're gonna use these games to be as competitive as possible and try to win.” 9. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 10. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MALIK TILLMAN, USMNT PLAYER, SAYING: “Try to give it my best, be dangerous for the opponent and fight for the team.” 11. VARIOUS OF U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM WARMING UP 12. VARIOUS OF USMNT PLAYER DIEGO LUNA HOLDING A TEAM JACKET 13. USMNT HEAD COACH MAURICIO POCHETTINO HOLDING A JERSEY WITH HIS NAME ON IT 14. USMNT HEAD COACH MAURICIO POCHETTINO ENTERING ROOM FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 15. USMNT LOGO  16. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “Now, I promise you, no one is sure that he’s going to be on the roster of the World Cup 2026 here. I don't believe before that was in the same way or not. But today, I promise, all the guys feel that they need to fight for to be there. And that is priceless.” 17. MEDIA/ POCHETTINO 18. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “That is the important thing. From now, it's about to talk about to improve, improve, improve, do better things. And for sure, arrive in the best condition for the World Cup, that is the reality how people are going to judge us.” 19. USMNT LOGO ON SHIRT 20. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAURICIO POCHETTINO, USMNT HEAD COACH, SAYING: “Ecuador is going to be difficult. Ecuador was second on the qualification in South America. That is very tough when you play again Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and company, Paraguay, Chile, and to do this, Colombia. Second in the qualification is because you are doing something good and then you have very good players.” 21. POCHETTINO DURING NEWS CONFERENCE STORY: The U.S. Men’s National Team was warming up in Austin, Texas on Thursday (Oct. 9), the day before a friendly against Ecuador at Q2 Stadium. For USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino, the pressure was on players to prove themselves for a roster spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 as the event draws closer. “Now, I promise you, no one is sure that he’s going to be on the roster of the World Cup 2026 here,” Pochettino said. “All the guys feel that they need to fight for to be there. And that is priceless.” For USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie, the sweltering Texas temperatures provided an added training challenge. “Texas heat is definitely different heat than anywhere else,” McKennie said. “I would say, hydrate, take a lot of sodium, and it's a good thing that the game's a little bit later in the day.” The United States will be the main host for the 2026 World Cup starting in the summer of 2026, with Canada and Mexico serving as auxiliary hosts. In June, Ecuador became the 13th nation to qualify for the World Cup. (Production: Evan Garcia)

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VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) TO FOLLOW STORY: Belgium host Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) TO FOLLOW STORY: Belgium host Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) TO FOLLOW STORY: Belgium host Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) TO FOLLOW STORY: Belgium host Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: ALGERIANS CELEBRATING IN STREET,  PEOPLE IN CARS CELEBRATING, SOUNDBITES FROM SOCCER FANS SHOTLIST ONLY, COMPLETE SCRIPT TO FOLLOW SHOWS: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)  1. SUPPORTERS AT LA GRANDE POSTE SQUARE SHOUTING: “ONE TWO THREE, LONG LIFE ALGERIA”  2. SUPPORTERS SINGING: “PALESTINE, LAND OF MARTYRS”  3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 27-YEAR-OLD ALGERIAN FOOTBALL FAN, ISSAM BOUGHABA SAYING:  “We hope that they will continue like this, one two three long life to Algeria, we hope to win and bring the world cup, that’s what we hope as Algerians, as you can see Algerian people are very happy today, we are not afraid of any team participating in the world cup, we are Algerians and we are known and we hope to win both African and world cups”  4. SUPPORTERS HOLDING FIREWORKS AND SHOUTING: "PALESTINE, PALESTINE”  5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 20-YEAR-OLD ALGERIAN FOOTBALL FAN, TAHA OUSSAMA, SAYING:  “It has been 11 years that we haven’t been qualified to the world cup, in 2018 and in 2022 We didn’t participate and this year we are qualified and ze hope that we will do something good, and why not, the Algerian team wins the world cup and bring it here to make us extremely happy, one two three long life Algeria.”  6. TAHA AND HIS FRIENDS CELEBRATING AND WAVING A BIG ALGERIAN FLAG AND SHOUTING: “ONE TWO THREE, LONG LIFE ALGERIA”  7. SUPPORTERS SHOUTING: “A VISA TO THE UNITED STATES”  8. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS CELEBRATING BY FIREWORKS AND SINGING 9. CARS CELEBRATING / A GIRL IN THE CAR HOLDING A FLAG 10. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING IN THEIR CARS  11. A FAMILY CELEBRATING IN THEIR CAR/ THE FATHER SINGING STORY: (Production: Abdelaziz Boumzar, Thawab Herzallah)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KAA GHENT'S PLANET GROUP ARENA 2. SCREEN READING (English) 'Welcome' WITH FLAGS OF BELGIUM AND NORTH MACEDONIA 3. STADIUM INTERIOR 4. FOOTBALLS ON PITCH 5. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WALKING OUT ONTO THE PITCH 6. SIGN FOR EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS FOR THE WORLD CUP IN PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM 7. BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND, CAPTAIN, KEVIN DE BRUYNE, ARRIVING 8. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING: "Macedonia will play the same as they did in the first leg. They are a counter-attacking team that plays long balls and tries to win the ball back further down the pitch in order to play in our half. Obviously, they have talented players too. We will have to neutralise their strengths. But above all, we will have to impose our own strengths on them. It's up to us to be better than we were in the first leg and to continue playing like we did against Wales and in the September fixtures." 10. FORWARDS, MICHY BATSHUAYI, AND, LOIS OPENDA, WARMING UP 11. GOALKEEPERS, THIBAUT COURTOIS, MATZ SELS AND MAARTEN VANDEVOORDT 12. VARIOUS OF WARM-UP DRILLS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:  "If it's like the first leg, it would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead. We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game. The goal is simple: to take top spot in the group by the end of the match tomorrow evening, two points ahead of Macedonia and with one game in hand. 14. GARCIA AND DE BRUYNE LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 15. PLAYERS WARMING UP 16. VARIOUS OF COURTOIS, SELS AND GOALKEEPER, SENNE LAMMENS, TRAINING TOGETHER 17. PLAYERS GATHERING IN 18. NORTH MACEDONIA ON THE PITCH FOR TRAINING SESSION 19. PLAYERS PASSING BALL AROUND IN GROUP 20. HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, TALKING TO TEAM IN HUDDLE 21. HUDDLE BREAKING 22. VARIOUS OF MILEVSKI SEATED DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 23. (SOUNDBITE) (Macedonian) NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, SAYING (ROUGH TRANSLATION): "I have to be satisfied with results in the Nations League, with our competitiveness in the current group, almost securing a World Cup play-off spot for second time. I am pleased with what we showed on the pitch. Our energy and team spirit at this moment is the force pushing us forward and showing us what the path to take. Maximum respect for Belgian who are the best team in our group with an extraordinary roster. We are living our dream. I hope we can stay competitive in these qualifiers for as long as possible. We'll see how it ends up." 24. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 25. MILEVSKI LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 26. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS JOGGING 27. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING WARM-UP DRILL 28. GOALKEEPERS TRAINING 29. VARIOUS OF RONDO DRILLS 30. WARM-UP DRILL STORY: Belgium host North Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI RESENDING TO CORRECT SLATE SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KAA GHENT'S PLANET GROUP ARENA 2. SCREEN READING (English) 'Welcome' WITH FLAGS OF BELGIUM AND NORTH MACEDONIA 3. STADIUM INTERIOR 4. FOOTBALLS ON PITCH 5. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WALKING OUT ONTO THE PITCH 6. SIGN FOR EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS FOR THE WORLD CUP IN PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM 7. BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND, CAPTAIN, KEVIN DE BRUYNE, ARRIVING 8. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING: "Macedonia will play the same as they did in the first leg. They are a counter-attacking team that plays long balls and tries to win the ball back further down the pitch in order to play in our half. Obviously, they have talented players too. We will have to neutralise their strengths. But above all, we will have to impose our own strengths on them. It's up to us to be better than we were in the first leg and to continue playing like we did against Wales and in the September fixtures." 10. FORWARDS, MICHY BATSHUAYI, AND, LOIS OPENDA, WARMING UP 11. GOALKEEPERS, THIBAUT COURTOIS, MATZ SELS AND MAARTEN VANDEVOORDT 12. VARIOUS OF WARM-UP DRILLS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:  "If it's like the first leg, it would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead. We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game. The goal is simple: to take top spot in the group by the end of the match tomorrow evening, two points ahead of Macedonia and with one game in hand. 14. GARCIA AND DE BRUYNE LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 15. PLAYERS WARMING UP 16. VARIOUS OF COURTOIS, SELS AND GOALKEEPER, SENNE LAMMENS, TRAINING TOGETHER 17. PLAYERS GATHERING IN 18. NORTH MACEDONIA ON THE PITCH FOR TRAINING SESSION 19. PLAYERS PASSING BALL AROUND IN GROUP 20. HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, TALKING TO TEAM IN HUDDLE 21. HUDDLE BREAKING 22. VARIOUS OF MILEVSKI SEATED DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 23. (SOUNDBITE) (Macedonian) NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, SAYING (ROUGH TRANSLATION): "I have to be satisfied with results in the Nations League, with our competitiveness in the current group, almost securing a World Cup play-off spot for second time. I am pleased with what we showed on the pitch. Our energy and team spirit at this moment is the force pushing us forward and showing us what the path to take. Maximum respect for Belgian who are the best team in our group with an extraordinary roster. We are living our dream. I hope we can stay competitive in these qualifiers for as long as possible. We'll see how it ends up." 24. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 25. MILEVSKI LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 26. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS JOGGING 27. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING WARM-UP DRILL 28. GOALKEEPERS TRAINING 29. VARIOUS OF RONDO DRILLS 30. WARM-UP DRILL STORY:     Belgium host North Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 10) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.      Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.      Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.      Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne.     That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0.     Speaking to a press conference on Thursday (October 9), Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.      "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained.     "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium.     As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI RESENDING TO CORRECT SLATE SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KAA GHENT'S PLANET GROUP ARENA 2. SCREEN READING (English) 'Welcome' WITH FLAGS OF BELGIUM AND NORTH MACEDONIA 3. STADIUM INTERIOR 4. FOOTBALLS ON PITCH 5. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WALKING OUT ONTO THE PITCH 6. SIGN FOR EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS FOR THE WORLD CUP IN PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM 7. BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND, CAPTAIN, KEVIN DE BRUYNE, ARRIVING 8. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING: "Macedonia will play the same as they did in the first leg. They are a counter-attacking team that plays long balls and tries to win the ball back further down the pitch in order to play in our half. Obviously, they have talented players too. We will have to neutralise their strengths. But above all, we will have to impose our own strengths on them. It's up to us to be better than we were in the first leg and to continue playing like we did against Wales and in the September fixtures." 10. FORWARDS, MICHY BATSHUAYI, AND, LOIS OPENDA, WARMING UP 11. GOALKEEPERS, THIBAUT COURTOIS, MATZ SELS AND MAARTEN VANDEVOORDT 12. VARIOUS OF WARM-UP DRILLS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:  "If it's like the first leg, it would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead. We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game. The goal is simple: to take top spot in the group by the end of the match tomorrow evening, two points ahead of Macedonia and with one game in hand. 14. GARCIA AND DE BRUYNE LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 15. PLAYERS WARMING UP 16. VARIOUS OF COURTOIS, SELS AND GOALKEEPER, SENNE LAMMENS, TRAINING TOGETHER 17. PLAYERS GATHERING IN 18. NORTH MACEDONIA ON THE PITCH FOR TRAINING SESSION 19. PLAYERS PASSING BALL AROUND IN GROUP 20. HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, TALKING TO TEAM IN HUDDLE 21. HUDDLE BREAKING 22. VARIOUS OF MILEVSKI SEATED DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 23. (SOUNDBITE) (Macedonian) NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, SAYING (ROUGH TRANSLATION): "I have to be satisfied with results in the Nations League, with our competitiveness in the current group, almost securing a World Cup play-off spot for second time. I am pleased with what we showed on the pitch. Our energy and team spirit at this moment is the force pushing us forward and showing us what the path to take. Maximum respect for Belgian who are the best team in our group with an extraordinary roster. We are living our dream. I hope we can stay competitive in these qualifiers for as long as possible. We'll see how it ends up." 24. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 25. MILEVSKI LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 26. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS JOGGING 27. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING WARM-UP DRILL 28. GOALKEEPERS TRAINING 29. VARIOUS OF RONDO DRILLS 30. WARM-UP DRILL STORY:     Belgium host North Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 10) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.      Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.      Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.      Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne.     That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0.     Speaking to a press conference on Thursday (October 9), Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.      "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained.     "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium.     As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: BELGIUM AND MACEDONIA TRAINING AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN GHENT/ PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS FROM BELGIUM, HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: GHENT, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF KAA GHENT'S PLANET GROUP ARENA 2. SCREEN READING (English) 'Welcome' WITH FLAGS OF BELGIUM AND NORTH MACEDONIA 3. STADIUM INTERIOR 4. FOOTBALLS ON PITCH 5. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WALKING OUT ONTO THE PITCH 6. SIGN FOR EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS FOR THE WORLD CUP IN PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM 7. BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, AND, CAPTAIN, KEVIN DE BRUYNE, ARRIVING 8. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING: "Macedonia will play the same as they did in the first leg. They are a counter-attacking team that plays long balls and tries to win the ball back further down the pitch in order to play in our half. Obviously, they have talented players too. We will have to neutralise their strengths. But above all, we will have to impose our own strengths on them. It's up to us to be better than we were in the first leg and to continue playing like we did against Wales and in the September fixtures." 10. FORWARDS, MICHY BATSHUAYI, AND, LOIS OPENDA, WARMING UP 11. GOALKEEPERS, THIBAUT COURTOIS, MATZ SELS AND MAARTEN VANDEVOORDT 12. VARIOUS OF WARM-UP DRILLS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIUM HEAD COACH, RUDI GARCIA, SAYING:  "If it's like the first leg, it would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead. We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game. The goal is simple: to take top spot in the group by the end of the match tomorrow evening, two points ahead of Macedonia and with one game in hand. 14. GARCIA AND DE BRUYNE LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 15. PLAYERS WARMING UP 16. VARIOUS OF COURTOIS, SELS AND GOALKEEPER, SENNE LAMMENS, TRAINING TOGETHER 17. PLAYERS GATHERING IN 18. NORTH MACEDONIA ON THE PITCH FOR TRAINING SESSION 19. PLAYERS PASSING BALL AROUND IN GROUP 20. HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, TALKING TO TEAM IN HUDDLE 21. HUDDLE BREAKING 22. VARIOUS OF MILEVSKI SEATED DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 23. (SOUNDBITE) (Macedonian) NORTH MACEDONIA HEAD COACH, BLAGOJA MILEVSKI, SAYING (ROUGH TRANSLATION): "I have to be satisfied with results in the Nations League, with our competitiveness in the current group, almost securing a World Cup play-off spot for second time. I am pleased with what we showed on the pitch. Our energy and team spirit at this moment is the force pushing us forward and showing us what the path to take. Maximum respect for Belgian who are the best team in our group with an extraordinary roster. We are living our dream. I hope we can stay competitive in these qualifiers for as long as possible. We'll see how it ends up." 24. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 25. MILEVSKI LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 26. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS JOGGING 27. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING WARM-UP DRILL 28. GOALKEEPERS TRAINING 29. VARIOUS OF RONDO DRILLS 30. WARM-UP DRILL STORY: Belgium host North Macedonia in Ghent on Friday (October 9) with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors and take top spot in their qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.  Rudi Garcia, who took over as head coach of the Red Devils at the start of 2025, oversaw a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Skopje to kick off the qualifying campaign back in June.  Having taken the lead through Maxim De Cuyper early on, Belgium let slip their advantage with just four minutes left of regulation time.  Since then, the 61-year-old Frenchman has guided Belgium to three successive victories beginning with a 4-3 win over Wales in Brussels courtesy of a late winner from captain Kevin de Bruyne. That victory was followed up by lopsided wins against Lichtenstein and Kazakhstan in September by a combined scoreline of 12-0. Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Garcia urged his side to learn from their mistakes in Skopje.  "It would be the right idea to take the lead again but we have to know how to protect that lead," he explained. "We have to make sure we don't give them any chance to equalise because it was mainly our mistakes that allowed them back in the game," added Garcia, who is best known for his spells at Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon before embarking on his first foray into international management with Belgium. As it stands, Belgium sit second in the standings on 10 points from four games, one behind North Macedonia, who have played five matches. Wales also have 10 points but from five outings. (Production: Zoran Mikletic, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)