Belgium at the World Cup: Controversy, old stars and big doubts

Belgium fails to start the World Cup

The “Red Devils” don’t like each other

The “Golden Generation” of football in Belgium is trying one last time to make a big splash at the World Cup. The preliminary group seems solvable, but the start against Egypt was sobering.

Belgium traveled to the World Cup with dampened hopes. The tone among Germany’s neighbors is different than it was at the height of the “Golden Generation.” The group with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand is the opposite of a “group of death” and progress is the absolute minimum goal. The luck of the draw favored the “Red Devils” in qualifying, and the compulsory tasks against Wales, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia and Liechtenstein were completed with ease.

In the World Cup tournament itself, the start went badly wrong: the eternal secret favorites only managed a flattering 1-1 draw against Egypt. The aging storm tank Romelu Lukaku, who came on late as a substitute, forced the equalizer with an energetic performance in the African penalty area.

But in order to reach the quarter-finals, the “older men”, i.e. Lukaku, midfield star Kevin de Bruyne and goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, will have to clear bigger chunks out of the way.

The support from the fans is still there. After the successful qualification, ex-Dortmunder Thomas Meunier spoke of new energy and a second wind in his generation. At the same time, the World Cup is also a logistical and financial problem for many supporters. The ticket prices and trips to Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver have sparked a lot of criticism in Belgium.

Even in terms of sport, no one is sugarcoating the situation. National coach Rudi Garcia has to manage a change. Youri Tielemans was installed as a permanent captain and as a link between the “old” axis and the younger talents. After a tough 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan, Jérémy Doku openly said that as long as you need De Bruyne, Lukaku and Courtois to win against such opponents, it will be difficult in the future. Because: The 2026 World Cup is likely to be the last for all three (and not just them).

That’s probably why Garcia calls Belgium “underdogs”, but also said after the 5-2 win against the USA that his team could hurt any opponent at this level. The mood of the “Red Devils” moves between these two poles. The win against the USA gave Belgium a boost, but a 1-1 draw against Mexico immediately curbed the euphoria. The opener against Egypt will set the tone for the tournament. This means that the pressure is there from the start.

Belgium finished first in European qualifying Group J. The balance reads well: eight games, five wins, three draws, no defeat, 29:7 goals, 18 points. However, the qualification didn’t go quite smoothly. At the start there was a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia, later a 0-0 draw at home against the same opponent, and in November only a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan. In between, however, Belgium showed its quality: 4:3 against Wales, 6:0 in Liechtenstein, 6:0 against Kazakhstan, 4:2 in Wales and finally 7:0 against Liechtenstein. The pattern was clear: when Belgium got space and increased the tempo, it became clear. However, the “Devils” have a hard time against compact opponents.