2022 World Cup Team Profile: Belgium

Belgium National Team (Twitter @BelRedDevils)

JAKARTA - Labeled the 'Golden Generation', the Belgian national football team is one of the best in history. Although they have never won any trophies, the team has put in some outstanding performances.

The Belgian national team is full of world-class players, from Eden Hazard to Kevin De Bruyne to Romelu Lukaku. They often compete for prestigious trophies. Let's take a comprehensive look at the Belgian national team players and their history.

Profile overview

Team Name: Belgian National Football Team Nickname: The Red Devils Founded: 1904 Most caps: Jan Vertonghen Captain: Eden Hazard Coach: Roberto Martinez Top Scorer: Romelu Lukaku (68) Biggest win: Against San Marino 10-1 (2001) Defeat Biggest: England Amateur 2-11 (1909)

The team captained by KDB tonight! #NationsLeague #WALBEL #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/GAbVYxQesN

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 11, 2022

Nickname

The Belgian national team is known as the 'Red Devils' (Red Devils) because of their jerseys and red flag. They have had this nickname since 1906. While their support group is named 1895.

FIFA Ranking

The Belgian national team is currently in second place, just below Brazil with 1821.92 points. The team's highest ranking was number 1 in 2018, and its lowest ranking was 71. The world ranking of the Belgian national team is an interesting thing for most football fans because this team has never won any major trophy.

A brief History

Belgium was one of the first mainland European countries to play association football. His practice in Belgium began on October 26, 1863, after an Irish student entered the Josephites College of Melle with a leather ball. Originally an elitist hobby, over the next decade association football replaced rugby as the most popular football sport in Belgium.

On 1 September 1895, ten football, athletics, cricket and cycling clubs founded the Belgian sports council Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques (UBSSA); a year later UBSSA organized the first annual league in Belgian football.

Belgium at the World Cup

The Belgian national team has participated in the World Cup 13 times. Their best performance at the World Cup was in 2018 when they finished third after beating England 2-0.

Belgium failed to qualify for the first round of their five earliest World Cup participations. After two goalless defeats at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, the team scored in their first-half knockout matches in the 1934 and 1938 editions, but only enough to save their honor. In 1954, they drew with England (4–4 after extra time), and in 1970, they won their first World Cup match, against El Salvador (3–0).

From 1982 to 2002, Belgium qualified for six consecutive World Cups, and in the finals of the tournament they progressed beyond the first round five times. In the opening match of the 1982 World Cup, Belgium beat defending champions Argentina 1-0. Their tournament ended in the second group stage, after a Poland hat-trick by Zbigniew Boniek and a 0-1 defeat against the Soviet Union.

Belgium at the 2022 World Cup

At the Qatar World Cup, the Belgian national team was placed in Group F along with Canada, Morocco and Croatia. Here is their group fixture schedule:

Wednesday, 23 November 2022Morocco vs Croatia: 17:00 WIB Thursday, 24 November 2022 Belgium vs Canada: 02:00 WIB Sunday, 27 November 2022 Belgium vs Morocco: 20:00 WIB Croatia vs Canada: 23:00 WIB Thursday, 1 December 2022 Croatia vs Belgium: 22:00 WIBCanada vs Morocco: 22.00 WIB Provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup

The Belgian national team has many great players who have proven themselves at different levels at the club. The roster for the Belgian national football team consists of:

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois Matz Sels Simon Mignolet Koen Casteels

defender

Toby Alderweireld Arthur Theate Brandon Mechele Jan Vertonghen Thomas Foket Timothy Castagne Wout Faes

Midfielder

Axel Witsel Dennis Praet Youri Tielemans Eden Hazard Thorgan Hazard Leandro Trossard Adnan Januzaj Leander Dendoncker Hans Vanaken Alexis Saelemaekers

Striker

Loïs Openda Charles De Ketelaere Dries Mertens Michy Batshuayi Romelu Lukaku

Great way to end the season. #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/LhrE49MAC6

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 15, 2022

Team captain

The current captain of the Belgian national team is Real Madrid star Eden Hazard. Even though he had a difficult time at Los Blancos due to constant injuries, he still showed up for his national team.

Watch your back with @hazardeden10. #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/dzPhlMjqUY

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 16, 2022

Trainer

Roberto Martinez joined the Belgian national team in 2016 and has since led the team to glory, although they are yet to win a trophy. He once had Thiery Henry in his staff line to help sharp the Red Devils attackers.

trophy

The Belgian national team has only won one trophy in its history. They were one-time Olympic champions in 1920. At the World Cup, they were only 'almost champions' twice.

World Cup

Third place (bronze medal) 2018 Fourth place: 1986

European Cup

Runner-up (silver medal) 1980 Third place (bronze medal) 1972

Summer Olympics

Gold medal 1920 Bronze medal 1900 Fourth place 2008

UEFA Nations League

Fourth place: 2021

The Belgian national team players have proven themselves at national and club level. Despite not winning a trophy with the national team, they believe they can be strong challengers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.