ALBAWABA - Cardiff City Stadium recently had an unexpected visitor when a rat interrupted a 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Belgium and Wales, giving Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois an unusual challenge.
While known as one of the best goalkeepers of this generation, Courtois failed to capture the rat, leading to a temporary halt of the match, as laughter echoed across the stadium. The unusual incident occurred in the second half when Belgium was leading 2-1.
The match ended with Belgium as the victor, beating Wales 4-2. However, Belgium, which is competing in Group J, is yet to secure its place in the 2026 World Cup, with fans awaiting the team's match against Liechtenstein on Nov. 18, 2025.
Video: Rat goes viral after disrupting Belgium and Wales World Cup qualifier
Videos of the incident flooded social media, garnering plenty of laughs from football fans. A social media user wrote, "Courtois and the rat: a love story."
Another wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Rat couldn't watch from the sidelines anymore, decided to get in on the action."
While the Real Madrid star failed to catch the rat, Welsh footballer Brennan Johnson stepped in to remove the rat from the field as it ran away and disappeared behind a VAR monitor, never to be seen again.
