Belgium
Star generation, last shot at a trophy
Ranked #1 for years and won nothing — De Bruyne, Courtois, Lukaku, the genuine last dance.
Watchability4/5
Drama4/5
Star power5/5
Title shot3/5
Team rating
84TEAM
- Attack85
- Midfield84
- Defense80
Next matches
- Next upvs IranSoFi Stadium, InglewoodJun 21
- vs New ZealandBC Place, VancouverJun 26
The read
Belgium's so-called 'golden generation' — playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, towering goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, striker Romelu Lukaku — spent years ranked #1 in the world and never lifted a trophy. This is genuinely the final World Cup for that core, and they opened with a nervy 1-1 draw against Egypt, exactly the near-disaster this team specializes in.
The fan’s readGenuinely the last dance of a golden generation — De Bruyne, Courtois, Lukaku — where brilliance and heartbreak fight each other in real time. High-wire viewing every single match.
The cast
- Rudi GarciaFrenchman in his first national-team job; won the French league-and-cup double with Lille in 2011, later coached Roma and Napolimanager
- Kevin De Bruyne ★Belgium's golden-generation maestro at his fourth and final World Cup, still threading passes no one else on the planet sees.ClubNapoli
- Thibaut CourtoisA giant keeper who wins games by himself on his night.ClubReal Madrid
- Romelu LukakuBelgium's all-time leading scorer who changed a game in 22 seconds — and then fluffed the chance that would have won it.ClubNapoli
- Jeremy DokuA speed merchant who terrorizes full-backs one-on-one.ClubManchester City
- Leandro TrossardThe quiet menace — a forward who hurts you without you noticing.ClubArsenal
- Charles De KetelaereAn Atalanta forward who flopped at Milan then reinvented himself — tall, technical, and finally delivering on the long-promised talent.ClubAtalanta
- Koen CasteelsBelgium's understated number one after the Courtois saga — big, calm, and reliable, the steady hands behind an aging golden generation.ClubAl-Qadsiah
Key moments
- 2018Best-ever finish — 3rdThe golden generation reached the 2018 World Cup semifinals — their deepest run ever — lost 1-0 to eventual champion France, then beat England to take third place.
- 2018The Japan comebackIn the 2018 Round of 16 Belgium trailed Japan 2-0, scored three unanswered goals, and won 3-2 on a strike in the final seconds of stoppage time — one of the great World Cup comebacks.
- 2018–2022World #1, no trophyBelgium held the FIFA No. 1 world ranking from October 2018 to March 2022 — one of the longest reigns ever — without winning a single major tournament.