Belgium national football team Players, Coach, FIFA Rankings, Nickname, History
In this article, you will get to know about the Belgium national football team Players, Coach, FIFA Rankings, Nickname, and History. The Belgian national football team has officially represented Belgium in men’s international football since its first match in 1904. The team falls under FIFA’s global jurisdiction and is administered by UEFA in Europe, both co-founded by its governing body. Belgian team, Royal Belgian Football Association.
From 1920 to 1938, from 1982 to 2002, and again in 2014, Belgium’s period of formal representation at the highest international level has been replaced by mostly failed qualifying rounds. Most of Belgium’s domestic games are played at the King Bowdoin Stadium in Brussels.
Team Profile summary
| Association | Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB/URBSFA/KBFV) |
| Nickname(s) | De Rode Duivels, Les Diables Rouges, Die Roten Teufel |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| FIFA code | BEL |
| FIFA rank | 5 (25 November 2024) |
| Most Caps | Jan Vertonghen (136) |
| Top Scorer | Romelu Lukaku (68) |
| Home stadium | Various |
| Head coach | Roberto Martínez |
Belgium national football team History
Belgium’s first international match was against France in Brussels on May 1, 1904. For their opponents, this was also their first international match, as it was the first between two independent European countries. The match, which had 1,500 people watching, ended in a 3-3 draw and the Évence Coppée Trophy was shared between the two nations. Twelve days later, France and Belgium joined five other national teams to form FIFA.
Belgium formed a rivalry with the Netherlands which sparked the Netherlands derby, which to this day remains a major rivalry in football matches to this day. Belgium was then one of the original twelve teams that competed in the first FIFA World Cup. The team struggled in their group, losing to Argentina and Wales. In 1910, former Scotland player William Maxwell was appointed manager of Belgium as they finished runners-up in the 1910 FIFA World Cup which was held in Austria. Maxwell would lead them into the next World Cup in England, where Belgium would finish in fourth position after losing to eventual runners-up England.
After surviving a tricky qualifying section that involved defeating the Republic of Ireland in a play-off, they were not expected to make it past the group stage with Sweden and Italy as potential qualifiers. In the opening match against the Italians, Albert De Hert scored a late goal to record an upset win for Belgium as it would put them on a good stride to qualify for the quarter-finals with the only loss against Sweden. In the quarter-finals, they were outclassed by the British team when they fell 3-0 in Gothenburg to finish in 8th place overall.
The next opportunity to progress to the World Cup began in 1953 with the qualifying group consisting of France and West Germany. In one of three groups to have a full home-and-away format for the first time, the country would finish in last place with the only point being a 0-0 draw against the France. During the match in Brussels, the French and Belgian federations discuss the possible formation of a European confederation that will coincide with CONMEBOL. After discussion, it was decided to form UEFA with headquarters in Brussels.
Despite excellent form in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers as well as being considered the biggest contender for the European trophy, the tournament turned out to be a complete disappointment for Belgium. With Russia, Denmark and Finland joining Group B, Belgium easily won the group with three wins. In the knockout stage, Belgium faced defending champions Portugal for the first time in the Round of 16 and Thorgen Hazard’s powerful strike prevented Belgium from winning 1-0. In the quarter-finals, Belgium once again faced their arch-rivals Italy, but Belgium failed to avenge their 2016 defeat as they fell to 1-2 again with a goal from Romelu Lukaku, leaving Belgium in the lurch. The campaign ended on a sad note.
Belgium national football team Home Stadium
In 1930, on the occasion of the centenary of the country, the site was inaugurated as Jubilee Stadium with an unofficial match between Belgium and the Netherlands. At that time the capacity of the stadium was 75,000. In 1946, the town was renamed Hazel Stadium after its neighbor. The new name was associated with the tragedy that preceded the 1985 European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool. Thirty-nine spectators were killed after riots broke out in the then-old building.
Three years after the catastrophe, renovation projects were unveiled. In 1995, after two years of operation, the modern stadium was named after the late King Bowdoin. In May 2013, the Brussels-Capital Region announced that King Bowden Stadium would be relocated from Euro stadium, somewhere else on the Hazel Plateau. In 2018, however, plans for a new stadium were definitely canceled.
Belgium national football team Kit
Six costume makers have provided the team’s official costumes. Adidas has been a producer since 2014 and has closed its 2026 sponsorship agreement with RBFA. It was also a supplier from 1974 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1991. Former kit manufacturers are Umbro (the early 1970s), Admiral (1981-1982), Diodora (1992-1999), Nike (1999-2010), and Burda-2010-2014.
Belgium Football Kit 2022, Home and Away by Adidas will be available soon.
Who are Belgium National Football team players?
On 18 March 2022, 27 players were named to the squad for the two friendly matches on 26 and 29 March 2022 against the Republic of Ireland and Burkina Faso respectively. Information is correct as of 29 March 2022, after the match against Burkina Faso.
| No | Position | Player Name | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matz Sels | 26-02-1992 (30) | 2 | 0 | Strasbourg | |
| GK | Thomas Kaminski | 23-10-1992 (29) | 0 | 0 | Blackburn Rovers | |
| GK | Davy Roef | 06-02-1994 (28) | 0 | 0 | Gent | |
| DF | Jason Denayer | 28-06-1995 (26) | 35 | 1 | Lyon | |
| DF | Dedryck Boyata | 28-11-1990 (31) | 29 | 0 | Hertha BSC | |
| DF | Thomas Foket | 25-09-1994 (27) | 9 | 1 | Reims | |
| DF | Alexis Saelemaekers | 27-06-1999 (22) | 9 | 1 | Milan | |
| DF | Sebastiaan Bornauw | 22-03-1999 (23) | 3 | 0 | VfL Wolfsburg | |
| DF | Arthur Theate | 25-05-2000 (21) | 2 | 0 | Bologna | |
| DF | Siebe Van der Heyden | 30-05-1998 (23) | 1 | 0 | Union SG | |
| DF | Wout Faes | 03-04-1998 (23) | 0 | 0 | Reims | |
| MF | Youri Tielemans | 07-05-1997 (24) | 49 | 4 | Leicester City | |
| MF | Thorgan Hazard | 29-03-1993 (29) | 42 | 9 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| MF | Leander Dendoncker | 15-04-1995 (26) | 26 | 0 | Wolverhampton | |
| MF | Hans Vanaken | 24-08-1992 (29) | 19 | 5 | Club Brugge | |
| MF | Leandro Trossard | 04-12-1994 (27) | 15 | 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| MF | Orel Mangala | 18-03-1998 (24) | 2 | 0 | VfB Stuttgart | |
| MF | Albert Sambi Lokonga | 22-10-1999 (22) | 1 | 0 | Arsenal | |
| FW | Christian Benteke | 03-12-1990 (31) | 45 | 18 | Crystal Palace | |
| FW | Michy Batshuayi | 02-10-1993 (28) | 41 | 23 | Beşiktaş | |
| FW | Divock Origi | 18-04-1995 (26) | 32 | 3 | Liverpool | |
| FW | Adnan Januzaj | 05-02-1995 (27) | 15 | 1 | Real Sociedad | |
| FW | Yari Verschaeren | 12-07-2001 (20) | 7 | 1 | Anderlecht | |
| FW | Charles De Ketelaere | 10-03-2001 (21) | 6 | 1 | Club Brugge | |
| FW | Dante Vanzeir | 16-04-1998 (23) | 1 | 0 | Union SG |
Who are the Belgium national football team captain and coach?
Eden Hazard is the captain of the Belgium national football team and Roberto Martínez is the current manager of the Belgium national team.
Belgium national football team captain
Eden Hazard is captain of the Belgium national football team. Have a look at the profile summary of Belgium’s current captain.
Profile summary
- Name: Eden Hazard
- Date of birth/Age: Jan 7, 1991 (31)
- Place of birth: La Louvière
- Citizenship: Belgium
- Height: 1,75 m
- Position: Left Winger
- National player: Belgium
- Caps/Goals: 116 / 33
Belgium national football team Coach
Roberto Martínez is the current manager of the Belgium national team. Have a look at the profile summary of the team’s current coach.
Profile summary
- Name: Roberto Martínez
- Date of birth/Age: Jul 13, 1973 (48)
- Place of birth: Balaguer
- Citizenship: Spain
- Agent: Quadrans
- Avg. the term as coach: 3.73 Years
- Preferred formation: 3-4-2-1
Belgium national football team world rankings
Belgium is at 5th Number in FIFA World ranking.
Belgium’s national football team trophies
FIFA World Cup
- Third place: 2018
UEFA European Championship
- Runners-up: 1980
- Third place: 1972
Football at the Summer Olympics
- Gold Medal: 1920
- Bronze Medal: 1900
Source: FootballArroyo.co.uk
Check Also:
- Belgium 2022 World Cup squad: Who will join Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard in Qatar?
