Greece Makes Strong Statement with 5-1 Victory Over Belarus in World Cup 2026 Qualifier Opener

Dominant Display in Qualifying Opener

The Greek National Team began their World Cup qualifying campaign by hosting Belarus at the G. Karaiskakis Stadium in their tournament opener on September 5, 2025.

The home side demonstrated their superiority with an impressive offensive display, ultimately securing a 5-1 victory. Christos Tzolis contributed to the scoring with a brilliant right-footed shot from the box to make it 5-0, before Belarus managed to get one back through German Barkovskiy’s penalty.

Recent Form and Championship Aspirations

Greece entered the match in excellent form, having won their three most recent matches by a margin of three goals or more. The team’s impressive run includes winning four of their last five and nine of their last eleven games.

The Greek team, European champions in 2004, are aiming to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014, when they reached the round of 16.

Looking Ahead

This victory against Belarus marks just the first step in Greece’s qualifying campaign. The team’s next challenge comes quickly, as they prepare to host Denmark at the same stadium on Monday, September 8. A win in that match would help establish Greece as the dominant force in their qualifying group.

For Belarus, who are still dreaming of qualifying for their first-ever World Cup, this defeat represents a significant setback. As underdogs in Group C, they will need to regroup quickly before their upcoming showdown with Scotland.