Agree with the advice to avoid the main station Brussels Sud (Midi), especially at night. Also, the Brussels Nord station is to avoid.
To watch the game, there are a few Portuguese bars along chausse d'ixelles and around place Flagey, where conveniently there is also one of those stands selling Belgian double-fried chips (frites) - just follow the smell, it's all
over the square. Otherwise, one or two bars on place Luxembourg (where the European Parliament building is located) for sure will have the game on a big screen.
In terms of sight-seeing, as has been said, Ghent is bigger than Bruges, but also closer to Brussels. Bruges may feel very touristy, but hardly disappoints - especially with a boat trip along the canals. Even closer to Brussels is a town called Mechelen (not to be confused with Machelen), with a lovely main square and worth visiting for this brewery:
https://www.hetanker.be/en (they also have a nice restaurant - for me their Golden Carolus is one of the best beers I have ever tried. Note: these are strong beers).
I used to spend a fair amount of time in Brussels until recently, so feel free to ask - if I can, I'll answer. Recently, there have been a few gunfights in brussels, so it's possible to notice an increased police presence in the city - or maybe not, considering how difficult is for all the authorities involved to reach any kind of agreement on a strategy.
Tip: Bring cash. It's fairly frequent to see in restaurants and bars a notice saying "today the atm machine is not working". Guess what... it never works and they prefer cash (euros) to atm payments.
Tip 2: local buses and metro work fairly well. If a taxi is needed, book an uber. Avoid official (black) taxis - invariably rude, expensive and, on top, ready to overcharge.
