Nation dossier · Group G · In contention
Belgium
Kingdom of Belgium
Up next New Zealand v Belgium · Group G
Title probability
1.3%
as of 2026-06-25
Overview
Belgium's golden generation is fading, but not gone. The era of Hazard, Kompany and Witsel has passed, yet Kevin De Bruyne still pulls the strings and Romelu Lukaku still leads the line. Under Rudi Garcia, the Red Devils are in a delicate transition, blending grizzled veterans with a thrilling crop of pace merchants.
Qualification was steady rather than spectacular, and questions linger over a creaky defence missing the old reliability of Vertonghen and Alderweireld at their peak. Still, with De Bruyne fit and a fearsome attacking front, Belgium can hurt anyone on their day.
The ambition is realism tempered by pride: nobody expects another semi-final run, but a deep, dangerous knockout campaign is within reach if the spine holds.
Capital
Brussels
Population
11,600,000
Confederation
UEFA
FIFA code
BEL
From Wikipedia
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Belgium covers an area…
Source: Wikipedia →Squad
- 1108caps
Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid · World-class No.1 and leader
- 129caps
Matz Sels
Nottingham Forest · Reliable shot-stopper backup
- 1311caps
Koen Casteels
Al-Qadsiah · Experienced veteran keeper
- 2157caps
Jan Vertonghen
Anderlecht · Record-capped elder statesman
- 328caps
Arthur Theate
Eintracht Frankfurt · Ball-playing left-sided defender
- 418caps
Zeno Debast
Sporting CP · Composed young centre-back
- 524caps
Wout Faes
Leicester City · Aggressive defensive presence
- 1512caps
Maxim De Cuyper
Brighton · Energetic overlapping left-back
- 188caps
Koni De Winter
AC Milan · Emerging defensive talent
- 2150caps
Timothy Castagne
Fulham · Versatile attacking full-back
- 247caps
Sebastiaan Bornauw
Wolfsburg · Physical backup centre-back
- 625caps
Amadou Onana
Aston Villa · Powerful midfield destroyer
- 7112caps
Kevin De Bruyne
Napoli · Captain and creative talisman
- 874caps
Youri Tielemans
Aston Villa · Box-to-box engine room
- 1124caps
Charles De Ketelaere
Atalanta · Silky attacking midfielder
- 146caps
Nicolas Raskin
Rangers · Combative young midfielder
- 1738caps
Hans Vanaken
Club Brugge · Domestic kingpin playmaker
- 2018caps
Orel Mangala
Olympique Lyonnais · Tidy two-way midfielder
- 9119caps
Romelu Lukaku
Napoli · Record goalscorer and target man
- 1042caps
Leandro Trossard
Arsenal · Versatile clinical forward
- 1620caps
Dodi Lukebakio
Sevilla · Direct pacey wide threat
- 1915caps
Johan Bakayoko
PSV Eindhoven · Explosive young flank raider
- 2229caps
Jeremy Doku
Manchester City · Electric one-on-one winger
Model
as of 2026-06-25Exp. points
4.66
Proj. finish
15.2
Seed Elo
1900
Title-probability trajectory
Champion chance across the last 14 snapshots
Matches
Upcoming
History
1986
Fourth place
2018
Third place
2022
Group stage
Culture
Football culture
Belgium's renowned youth-development overhaul in the 2000s produced an astonishing conveyor of elite talent for such a small nation. Club Brugge and Anderlecht command fierce loyalty, and the league is a renowned exporter of polished young players to Europe's giants. Match days blend Flemish and Walloon fans behind a single tricolore.
Did you know
- Belgium topped the FIFA world rankings for a record stretch without ever winning a major trophy.
- The country produces more beer varieties than almost any nation on Earth.
- Brussels hosts the headquarters of both the EU and NATO.
- French fries were arguably perfected in Belgium, not France.
- Eden Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne all emerged from the same celebrated youth-development reboot.