On Monday night the European qualifier between Belgium and Sweden was abandoned at half-time following the shooting of three Sweden supporters in Brussels. The European football association UEFA has decided that the 1-1 score when the match was stopped will stand and the game will not be replayed.
Belgium now leads its qualifier group with 17 out of a possible 21 points and is through to the Euros. The outcome of the match could have no impact on Sweden’s fate as it was already eliminated.
A draw against Sweden means Belgium is just a little less certain of becoming group leader during the draw on 2 December. Full points against Sweden and Azerbaijan would have guaranteed group leader status in pot1. Belgium now has to win against Azerbaijan at home on 19 November and wait to see how many points other group winners collect to end up in pot 1.
An upset is mathematically possible, but the experts predict that as a result of results in other groups Belgium will still end up in pot 1.