Belgium national team — Belgium men are one of the teams from Europe to participate in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. It booked its seat directly by winning the qualifiers Group E from UEFA. Belgium has qualified for the tournament 14 times till 2022.
Their best result was in the 2018 Russia World Cup, where they finished third. Let’s, dive into their history briefly and their performances in the soccer World Cup plus the Qatar World Cup squad.
Brief History of Belgium Football
Early History
Belgium was the first mainland European nation to play football/association football in the mid-1860s. They have a one and half-century-long history in football and have produced many great footballers.
In 1863, an Irish student Cyril B. Morrogh brought football into the Josephites Colleges of Melle. That incident led Belgians to think about football.
The country then replaced rugby football with association football as their most popular sport. In 1895, all national athletes and sports persons formed UBSSA, a national athletics sports union. The following year, UBSSA organized its first football league. Then, they played a match against the Netherlands B team, but FIFA did not consider their official game as a few English men were also in that team.
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In May 1904, Belgium played their first official match against France which was they tied by 3 goals.
After a year, the Belgium team and the Dutch team met and played on a biannual basis for a couple of years.
1920 Olympics – 1930 FIFA World Cup
Belgium later participated in the 1920 Olympics and won the title with a little controversy. In the tournament finals, its opponents Czechoslovakia left the field after English referee John Lewis allowed a contentious goal and sent off their winger Karel Steiner. Hence, Belgium received the gold medal in default. Since then, the team has not won any major championships.
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In the Inaugural FIFA World Cup, Belgium made participation but did not progress to the knockout stage. It continuously played three World Cups before the Second World War.
UEFA History
One of the founders of UEFA, Belgium did not enter the debut Euro Championship. Furthermore, it did not qualify for the next two editions. In 1972, Belgium hosted the tournament and made it into the semifinals. But, could not take benefit of home audiences and lost against West Germany.
However, the team changed the game and defeated Hungary in the third-place match. In the next tournament, they failed to qualify and returned to the 1984 tournament. At that point, Belgium reached the finals and lost to West Germany a second time.
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Then, they have not made it into the semifinals of the tournament to date. Their recent best results were a quarter-finalist in the 2016 and 2020 editions of the Euro Cup. The Belgium national team has participated six times only in total 16 times of the tournament happened.
Belgium’s FIFA World Cup History
Belgium returned to the World Cup tournament in 1954. However, it failed to qualify for the knockout stage. The team then missed three World Cups and returned to the 1970 World Cup. During that time, the Belgian team had a great striker Paul Van Himst who scored 30 goals in his 14 years career in 81 appearances.
Even though Himst was on a board, it did not make the final qualification in the 1974 World Cup. Likewise, it missed the 1978 World Cup. Then, the team reformed with new players and qualified for the 1982 Mexico.
And in the next World Cup, the team reached the semifinals of the tournament for the first time. But it could not progress to finals and became a fourth of the tournament. Then, it participated in 4 World Cups regularly.
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But, after the 2002 World Cup, Belgium’s veteran team did not make it to the next two seasons of the game. Belgium reformed the teams, and many new faces came into the national team after 2006. The names of these players are; Kevin De Bryune, Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Maraounde Fellini, and Thibaut Courtois.
They all were a part of the FIFA World Cup 2014 squad but failed to pass the quarter-finals. Their game improved in the 2018 World Cup, they defeated the English men in the third-place match after losing the semifinals against Argentina.
Top Seven Belgian Greatest Footballers of All Time
Jan Vertonghen
Vertonghen is one of the strongest defenders of the Belgium team. He has been playing since 2007. Vertonghen is the most capped player in Belgium, who has played 139 caps and scored nine goals as of 2022. He is a professional player for the Belgium soccer club Anderlecht.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku is one of the greatest strikers of Belgium of all time. He is the top scorer of the national team and has scored 68 goals on 102 caps. He plays professional soccer for the Italian division 1 Club Inter Milan.
Eden Hazard
Hazard is one of the greatest Belgian players of all time. He is the second-highest scorer in Belgium after Romelu Lukaku. He plays midfielder for the national team and Spanish giant Real Madrid. Hazard has played 120 caps and scored 33 goals for the nation. He is also the team captain, leading the team succeeding former captain Vincent Kompany in 2015.
Kevin De Bruyne
Bruyne is another best footballer in Belgium right now. He is a midfielder and has appeared 94 times for the nation since 2010. Bruyne is also considered one of the greatest players of this era. Since 2015, he has been playing for the English club Manchester City.
Thibaut Courtois
Courtois is another best player from the Belgium team. He is one of the best goalkeepers in world football of this era. Courtois plays professional football for English Club Chelsea. He has capped 94 times for the nation (2011-2022). In the 2018 World Cup, he received the award of Best goalkeeper of the tournament and won the Golden Glove.
Vincent Kompany
Vincent Kompany was one of the mainstream players in Belgium from 2004-2015. He is the first big Belgian footballer to move to the English club Manchester City in 2008. From 2008-2015, he was a team captain of the nation. Kompany made 89 appearances during his 11 years of football journey.
Paul Van Himst
Himst was a key player of the Belgian team during the 1960s. He is one of the greatest Belgian footballers of all time. Between 1960-1974, Himst played 81 matches and scored 30 goals for the nation. During his tenure, he helped Belgium to reach third place at the Euro 1972.
He also served as the manager for the country and led to the 1994 World Cup football. In 2004, Belgian Football Association named Himst Golden Player of Belgium for the past five decades.
Qatar World Cup 2022 Belgium Squad
Belgium is a part of Group F, and it will face Canada, Morocco, and Croatia in group matches. The Belgian team will play their first match against Canada on 23 November 2022 at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan.
Qatar World Cup’s first match will take place on 20 November between Qatar and Ecuador. In 2016, Belgian Football Association appointed Spanish player Roberto Martinez as their manager.
Since then, Martinez has been leading the team, and he has led the team in the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euro Championships. Martinez also helped Belgium to hold first World ranks in men’s football. Currently, the team is in the second position behind Brazil.
Many of the best Belgian players will appear in the 2022 Qatar World Cup which will create challenges for the opponents. This time they hope to win a major trophy. Belgium will announce their playing xi squad in October.
