The Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden was abandoned at half-time after two Swedes were shot dead in Brussels earlier Monday.
Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level as a man in a video on social media claimed he was the assailant and that he was from the Islamic State group.
“Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned,” UEFA said in a statement on its website.
The Swedish players told UEFA they did not want to play the second half and the Belgians agreed, Swedish broadcaster TV6 said.
Fans remained inside the King Baudouin Stadium after the European Championship qualifier was stopped and chanted “All together! All together!”
The match was being played around 3 miles (5 kilometers) away from the shooting. The teams were tied 1-1 at halftime.
Belgium’s crisis center asked citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, and the Swedish FA said in a message to the team’s supporters on-site that the Belgian police wanted supporters to stay in the arena for security reasons.
“Keep calm and take care of each other,” the FA said. “Our thoughts go out to all the relatives of those affected in Brussels.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo suggested the attack, which took place more than an hour before the match, was linked to “terrorism.”
“A horrible shooting in Brussels, and the perpetrator is actively being tracked down,” said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, adding that she was joining government talks at the National Crisis Center.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters, said the two victims were Swedes.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson told a press conference that they had asked not to carry on with the match.
“When I came down for the break, I got this information. Immediately, I felt that it was completely unreal. What kind of world do we live in today?” he told reporters.
“I came into the locker room and when the team started talking we agreed 100 percent that we didn’t want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families.”
Sweden captain Victor Lindelof told the press conference that the players never felt in any danger.
“Our security team handled it well and put us at ease. They explained that this is the safest place to be in Brussels,” Lindelof said. “Belgium are already qualified and we don’t have the opportunity to get to the European Championship, so I see no reason to play.”
Belgium have already booked their place at Euro 2024 in Germany, while Sweden cannot qualify.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.