Belgium national football team
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| Belgium national football team | |
|---|---|
| Name | Belgium |
| Nickname | De Rode Duivels / Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils) |
| Association | Royal Belgian Football Association |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Coach | Domenico Tedesco |
| Captain | Kevin De Bruyne |
| Most caps | Jan Vertonghen (154) |
| Top scorer | Romelu Lukaku (83) |
| Home Stadium | King Baudouin Stadium |
| FIFA Trigramme | BEL |
| FIFA max date | November 2015 – March 2016, September 2018 – present |
| Pattern la | _bel22h |
| Pattern b | _bel22h |
| Pattern ra | _bel22h |
| Pattern sh | _bel22h |
| Pattern so | _bel22h |
| Leftarm | FF0000 |
| Body | FF0000 |
| Rightarm | FF0000 |
| Shorts | 000000 |
| Socks | FF0000 |
| First game | BEL 3–3 FRA , (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904) |
| Largest win | BEL 9–0 ZMB , (Brussels, Belgium; 4 June 2022) |
| Largest loss | ENG 11–2 BEL , (London, England; 17 April 1909) , GER 12–0 BEL , (Berlin, Germany; 16 May 1912) |
| World Cup apps | 14 |
| World Cup first | 1930 |
| World Cup best | Third place (2018) |
| Regional name | UEFA European Championship |
| Regional first | 1972 |
| Regional best | Runners-up (1980) |
| Olympics first | 1900 |
| Olympics best | Gold medal (1920) |
Belgium national football team. Governed by the Royal Belgian Football Association, the team represents Belgium in international football and is nicknamed the Red Devils. A founding member of both FIFA and the UEFA, Belgium has experienced periods of significant success, including an early Olympic gold medal and a modern "Golden Generation" that achieved a historic number-one FIFA World Rankings position. The team competes in major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship, with their home matches played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
History
Belgium played its first official international match against France in 1904. An early pinnacle was winning the gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, defeating Czechoslovakia in the final. The team participated in the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup and later enjoyed a strong era in the 1970s and 1980s, finishing as runners-up at the 1980 UEFA European Championship and reaching the 1986 World Cup semi-finals, led by players like Jan Ceulemans and Enzo Scifo. After a prolonged decline, a resurgence began in the 2010s with the emergence of a talented generation including Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku. This squad, often managed by Marc Wilmots and later Roberto Martínez, reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship, and achieved a historic third-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Team image
The team's traditional colours are red shirts, black shorts, and red socks, reflecting the national flag. Their iconic nickname, "De Rode Duivels" or "Les Diables Rouges" (The Red Devils), originated in 1906. The primary crest features the Royal Belgian Football Association logo alongside the national lion. Major kit manufacturers have included Adidas and current supplier Puma. The team enjoys a strong following, with notable fan groups creating vibrant support at the King Baudouin Stadium and during major tournaments across Europe.
Results and fixtures
Recent competitive cycles have seen Belgium consistently qualify for major finals. They finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a semi-final loss to eventual champions France and a victory over England in the third-place playoff. At the UEFA Euro 2020, held in 2021, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Italy. The team failed to progress past the group stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Upcoming matches include qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2024 against teams like Austria and Sweden, with friendlies scheduled against other top-tier nations.
Players
The current squad is selected by head coach Domenico Tedesco, who succeeded Roberto Martínez after the 2022 World Cup. The captain is midfielder Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, while the vice-captain is defender Jan Vertonghen of Anderlecht. Record appearance holder Vertonghen and all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku of Roma are key figures. The squad features stars from Europe's top leagues, including Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, Jérémy Doku of Manchester City, and Amadou Onana of Everton. Promising young talents like Johan Bakayoko of PSV are also emerging.
Honours
Belgium's honours include a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics. They were runners-up at the 1980 UEFA European Championship, losing to West Germany. Their best FIFA World Cup performance is third place, achieved at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The team also won the 1980 UEFA European Championship bronze medal match. Belgium has consistently performed well in the FIFA World Rankings, holding the number-one position for a record period between 2018 and 2022.
See also
* Royal Belgian Football Association * Belgium national under-21 football team * Belgium at the FIFA World Cup * Belgium at the UEFA European Championship * List of Belgium international footballers
References
Category:Belgium national football team Category:National sports teams of Belgium Category:UEFA national association football teams Category:1904 establishments in Belgium