Belgium · History

The Belgium national football team, governed by the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB/URBSFA), represents Belgium in international football and competes within UEFA, the European confederation. Universally known as the Red Devils, the side is one of the oldest national teams on the continent, having played its first official match in 1904, and ranks among the founding nations of organised international football in mainland Europe.

Belgium's honours are headlined by the gold medal won at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, which remains the country's only major senior title. The team's tournament reputation, however, rests on a series of near-misses and strong finishes: runners-up at the 1980 European Championship, fourth at the 1986 World Cup, and a peak of third place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the best result in the nation's history.

The modern era was defined by the so-called Golden Generation, a cohort of world-class players including Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois and Vincent Kompany, who lifted Belgium to the summit of the FIFA World Ranking and made the team a fixture in the latter stages of every major tournament across the 2010s and into the 2020s.

History

Belgium's footballing story began with the foundation of the Royal Belgian Union of Football Societies in 1895, one of the earliest governing bodies of its kind on the European mainland. The national team played its first official international on 1 May 1904 against France in Brussels, a fixture that ended 3-3 and is regarded as one of the very first international matches contested between two continental European nations. In those formative years Belgium developed steadily, taking part in regional tournaments and a regular calendar of friendlies that helped establish the country among the pioneers of the international game, and the team would go on to appear at the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.

The first true landmark arrived at the 1920 Olympic Games, staged in Antwerp on home soil. Belgium reached the final and defeated Czechoslovakia to claim the gold medal, a triumph that not only delivered the nation's only major senior title to this day but also cemented its standing as an emerging force in international football. For decades that Olympic success stood as the high point of Belgian football, even as the team remained a familiar presence at World Cups through the middle of the century. Tactically, Belgian sides of this period were built on organisation and discipline rather than flair, a pragmatic identity that would resurface in the country's most successful campaigns.

Belgian club football provided the foundation for the national side throughout, with the domestic championship, later known as the Belgian Pro League or Jupiler Pro League, producing the bulk of the players who represented the country. Clubs such as Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liege became the engines of talent development, and it was at Anderlecht that one of the greatest figures in Belgian football emerged. Paul Van Himst, a striker celebrated for his technical ability and eye for goal, dominated the 1960s and into the 1970s and is still regarded by many as the finest Belgian player of his generation, the embodiment of the country's footballing identity before its tournament breakthroughs.

The golden age of Belgian football arrived in the 1980s under coach Guy Thys, whose tactical approach and man-management transformed the team into a genuine contender. The first of those landmark runs came at the 1980 European Championship in Italy, where Belgium played organised, tactically astute football and reached the final. Built around the leadership of Jan Ceulemans and the defensive steel of Eric Gerets, the side advanced to a showpiece against West Germany, only to lose 2-1 to a late header from Horst Hrubesch. The defeat stung, but reaching the European final remains one of the defining achievements in the nation's history.

Thys guided Belgium to an even greater stage at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. With the goalkeeping of Jean-Marie Pfaff, the midfield craft of Enzo Scifo and the enduring presence of Jan Ceulemans, Belgium overcame strong opponents including the Soviet Union, whom they beat in a memorable extra-time tie, and Spain on penalties. The run carried them to the semi-finals, where they met Diego Maradona's Argentina and were beaten 2-0, with both goals scored by Maradona at the peak of his powers. Belgium ultimately finished fourth after losing the third-place play-off to France, a result that established the country as a recognised power in world football. Scifo, prized for his vision and ability to control the tempo of a match, and Pfaff, remembered for his reflexes and command of his area, became symbols of that era.

After the high of 1986 the national team entered a quieter period, qualifying for tournaments without threatening the latter stages, before the dawn of the 21st century brought a footballing renaissance. The emergence of the Golden Generation reshaped Belgian football entirely. Players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois and Vincent Kompany, many of them developed at home before excelling in Europe's leading leagues, gave the country an unprecedented depth of talent. Hazard, known for his dribbling and creativity, and De Bruyne, prized for his passing range and vision from midfield, became the creative axis of the team and two of the most celebrated footballers in the world during their primes.

The first major test of this generation came at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil under Marc Wilmots, himself a former standout player for the national team. Belgium reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Argentina. Two years later, at Euro 2016 in France, expectations were high but the team was stunned 3-1 by Wales in the last eight. Despite the disappointments, both campaigns underlined the potential of the squad and pointed toward greater achievements to come.

That promise was realised at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Belgium produced the finest tournament in its history under Spanish coach Roberto Martinez. Playing cohesive, attacking football, the team reached the semi-finals, the standout moment a thrilling 2-1 victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals that ranks among the greatest results the nation has ever achieved. Belgium lost 1-0 to France in the semi-finals but recovered to defeat England 2-0 in the third-place match, securing the bronze medal and confirming the Golden Generation's place at the top of the international game. Martinez, who managed the abundance of talent at his disposal with a flexible attacking system, oversaw a sustained run that lifted Belgium to the number one position in the FIFA World Ranking.

At Euro 2020, played in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Belgium again reached the quarter-finals, showing a high standard of play with significant victories along the way before being eliminated by Italy, who went on to win the tournament. The result, though short of a title, demonstrated the consistency the team had come to embody. Across these years Belgium combined the organised, tactical instincts of its golden 1980s with the individual brilliance of a generation that drew on the traditions of Van Himst, Scifo and Pfaff, while coaches from Guy Thys to Marc Wilmots and Roberto Martinez each left a lasting imprint on the development of the side. Belgium, drawing its players from the Pro League clubs of Anderlecht, Club Brugge and Standard Liege as well as from across Europe, beat England 2-0 in Saint Petersburg on 14 July 2018 to claim third place at the World Cup.