Contents
- Competition: Friendly International
- Date: Friday, 5th, June 2026
- Kickoff: 17:00 UK / 18.00 CEST
- Venue: National Stadium (Minsk)
International football returns to Minsk on Friday evening as an in-form Belarus outfit welcomes Middle Eastern representatives Syria to the National Football Stadium for an intriguing friendly encounter.
With both nations prioritizing these June fixtures to integrate fresh talent and finalize tactical setups ahead of autumn's competitive tournaments, a highly technical battle is expected in the Belarusian capital.
Belarus vs Syria Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Syria
0 : 1
Belarus
Friendly International
The only previous meeting between these two nations dates back to 2022, when Belarus secured a narrow 2-1 victory in a friendly encounter.
Belarus team overview
Belarus head into this international window buoyed by a growing sense of optimism, having enjoyed a productive set of fixtures back in March, when they secured back-to-back victories on the road against Cyprus and Armenia by 1-0 and 2-1 scorelines respectively.
Those positive results extended the White Wings' unbeaten run across all competitions to four matches (W2 D2), helping to erase memories of a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign at the end of last year, where they managed to collect just two points from six group-stage assignments.
However, a return to home soil in Minsk offers considerably less encouragement, with Viktor Goncharenko's side having converted only one of their last 10 home outings into victory, while they have also gone more than 270 minutes without finding the back of the net in front of their own supporters.
Having been particularly impressed by both the performances and results produced during March's international fixtures, Goncharenko is expected to place his faith in a largely unchanged squad, with the Belarus boss likely to reward the group that demonstrated both resilience and fighting spirit during their recent upturn in form.
Last matches of Belarus
-
Armenia
1 : 2
Belarus
Friendly International
-
Cyprus
0 : 1
Belarus
Friendly International
-
Belarus
0 : 0
Greece
WC Qualification Europe
-
Denmark
2 : 2
Belarus
WC Qualification Europe
-
Scotland
2 : 1
Belarus
WC Qualification Europe
Belarus lineup
Goalkeeper
-
12
Pavel Pavlyuchenko
Defenders
-
2
Kirill Pechenin
-
5
Egor Parkhomenko
-
20
Zakhar Volkov
-
23
Gleb Shevchenko
Midfielders
-
9
Maks Ebong
-
14
Evgeniy Yablonskiy
-
10
Valeriy Gromyko
Forwards
-
19
Yuriy Kovalev
-
18
Vladislav Morozov
-
7
Artem Shumanskiy
Syria team overview
In contrast, Syria make the long journey to Minsk aiming to further sharpen their attacking edge while also testing themselves against European opposition, a setting that has historically brought little joy, with the Qasioun Eagles having lost all three of their previous away matches on the continent by a staggering aggregate score of 19-0.
However, the visitors arrive in confident spirits following their most recent competitive outing on March 31, when they produced a commanding display to dismantle Afghanistan 5-1, a result that secured top spot in Group E with a maximum points haul and comfortably booked their place at the AFC Asian Cup.
Currently ranked 84th in the world, 13 places above their midweek hosts, Jose Lana's side will be eager to make a stronger impression on European soil, drawing confidence from an encouraging run of form that has seen them suffer just one defeat in their previous 10 matches, with that lone setback coming against Morocco.
Syria have included three potential debutants in their squad for this fixture, while much of the attacking responsibility is expected to fall on the shoulders of veteran forward Mahmoud Al-Mawas, who has registered 17 goals in 109 appearances for his national team.
Last matches of Syria
-
Syria
5 : 1
Afghanistan
Asian Cup Qualification
-
Morocco
1 : 0
Syria
Arab Cup
-
Syria
0 : 0
Palestine
Arab Cup
-
Syria
1 : 1
Qatar
Arab Cup
-
Tunisia
0 : 1
Syria
Arab Cup
Syria lineup
Goalkeeper
-
22
Shaher Al Shaker
Defenders
-
2
Ahmad Faqa
-
13
Abdal Razak Al-Mohamad
-
4
Abdallah Al-Shami
-
19
Zakaria Hanan
Midfielders
-
14
Ahmed Al-Ashkar
-
15
Mahmoud Nayef
-
17
Anas Dahhan
-
11
Mahmoud Al-Aswad
-
12
Mohammad Al-Hallaq
Forwards
-
7
Omar Khribin
Prediction
The Qasioun Eagles possess the raw individual flair and transition speed to compromise the hosts' low block, but executing that blueprint on European soil has historically proven to be a difficult hurdle for the Middle Eastern representatives.
We expect a highly analytical, closely contested affair where both managers will use the second half to experiment heavily with their squad depth. Ultimately, Syria's final-third efficiency should cancel out the hosts' home advantage, resulting in a hard-fought, competitive stalemate that leaves both coaching staffs with plenty of positives ahead of their autumn commitments.
Three Reasons we expect Draw
- Belarus are unbeaten in their previous four outings, although two of those matches ended in draws.
- Syria have managed just one victory from their last four matches, but two of those contests finished level.
- Belarus have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last four home matches.
Main prediction Belarus - Syria
Draw
Best Odds: