Belgium will participate in the FIFA World Cup™ for the 15th time in their history, and for the fourth consecutive edition.
Rudi Garcia’s men secured their place at the tournament, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States on the final matchday of the preliminary phase. In beating Liechtenstein 7-0 on Tuesday 17 November, the Red Devils ensured they would finish top of Group J in the European qualifiers.
Unbeaten in World Cup qualifying since 2009, Belgium once again had a near-perfect campaign, even if it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Romelu Lukaku and his team-mates.
The qualifiers began with a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia, before Belgium allowed a 3-0 lead to slip away against Wales until Kevin De Bruyne saved the day with an 88th-minute winner.
The Red Devils then got into gear with two resounding 6-0 victories over Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan, followed by a stunning 4-2 win against Wales, either side of draws with North Macedonia (0-0) and Kazakhstan (1-1).
In North America, Belgium will be aiming to take inspiration from their 2018 performance, when they finished third in the tournament held in Russia. They will be looking to make up for the disappointment of 2022, when they failed to make it out of their group, narrowly beating Canada 1-0, losing 2-0 to Morocco and then being held to a 0-0 draw by Croatia.
Belgium fans will find out who their opponents will be in the group stage when the draw for the final tournament takes place on Friday 5 December in Washington DC, at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, starting at noon local time (6pm CET).
Belgium at the FIFA World Cup
First World Cup: 1930
Participations: 15 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026)
Best performance: Third place (2018)
