Can the golden generation finally win the World Cup?
Years of continuous planning have finally paid off, as the Belgian officials put up a long-term vision 15 years ago to win the World Cup by developing the Youth teams and the football infrastructure in the country, and with a current second FIFA national team ranking; The golden generation of Belgium sets its eyes on winning the title in 2022.
keep reading to know more about Belgium in world cup.
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Pin on the map
The Kingdom of Belgium is in the western part of Europe, bordered by France to the west, Germany to the east, and the Netherlands to the north. With an additional 70 km of coast that lies on the North Sea. This land has a total area of 30,530 km² which is quite small. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and its largest city.
Wave the flag
“The Belgian flag has three colors; black, yellow, and red”. If you are telling someone this past statement, he’s probably very confused right now and asking why are you talking about Germany!
The Belgian and the German flags confuse onlookers worldwide. Centuries ago, parts of Belgium, Germany, and Holland used to be ruled by one throne. Thus, they shared the same flag.
As years passed, these states split due to cultural differences, language barriers, political and social turmoil, and of course, war; and so the flags changed. The Belgian vertical banners of black, red, and yellow date back to the royal relationship with the Duchy of Brabant, dating back to the medieval period. They adopted these colors permanently into their national flag after the revolutions shook Europe in 1848.
Sing along
The Belgian national anthem, which goes by its original French name of ‘La Brabançonne’, was written around the year 1830.
According to legend, a young revolutionary called ‘Jenneval’, whose real name was Alexandre Duchet, came up with the lyrics during the Belgian Revolution.
In the same year, Belgian composer François Van Campenhout decided he liked Jenneval’s lyrics, and composed an accompanying piece of music. The music was based on the tune of a French song by poet Eugène de Pradel, called ‘L’Air des lanciers polonais’ (The Tune of the Polish Lancers).
In 1860, Belgium’s then-prime minister, Charles Rogier, edited out lyrics which condemned the Dutch Prince of Orange, and added his own fourth verse. In 1921, Belgium formally adopted the song as an official, current version of ‘La Brabançonne’ that could be translated into the country’s three official languages: French, Dutch, and German.
It might not be a particularly ear-wormy tune, but when football season comes around, Belgium’s national anthem is as convincingly patriotic as any other.
World cup campaign
Belgium passed 8 matches in the UEFA qualification stage which consisted of five teams: Belarus, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Wales.
Belgium qualified for The World Cup – Qatar 2022 with no sweat with an unbeaten streak within 6 matches and drawing in two against Wales and the Czech Republic, 1-1.
Belgium scored 25 goals along with a solid defense that only conceded 6 goals. Most of Belgium’s attacking force is embodied in the TANK Romelu Lukaku who scored 5 goals.
Belgium joined Group F of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will compete from 23rd November to 1st December 2022. Belgium will play three matches against Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. The top two teams will advance to the round of 16.
World Cup History
Belgium has appeared in the competition 13 times, however, the Belgian Squad doesn’t have a lot of accomplishments in the competition, as from 1930 to 1954 they qualified to four tournaments out of five ( 1930-1934-1938-1954), but their results were disappointing as they left in the first round in the first three tournaments and the group stage at the last one.
Belgium waited till 1970 to appear again and left again at the group stage. The 1982 cup was special for the Belgians as they finally managed to pass the cursed group stage and topped their group over Argentina, only to leave at the 2nd group stage after bottoming their group behind Poland and the Soviet Union.
The 1982 achievement was a motivation for The Red Devils to return in 1986 to put out their best tournament ever and go all the way to the final four after a hard qualification in their group when they came 3rd after the host, Mexico, and Paraguay, to face the Soviet Union in the final 16 and win after a heroic match (4-3), then they had to Face Spain and managed to defeat it after exciting penalty kick outs.
The Belgian dream was shattered by the exquisite Maradona when he scored twice for Argentina, which would later become the champion, and wrecked the astonishing Belgian journey.
Belgium left at the group stage in 1998 and at the final 16 in (1990-1994-2002). The Belgian golden generation touched glory as it went all the way to the Final 8 before losing in a close match, 0-1, in 2014.
In 2018, Belgium was one of the favorites to win the title. However, the team’s fascinating journey in Russia ended at the final four after a defeat against France, which later won the tournament.
Star players and Coach
Despite having stars in every line, Belgium depends mainly on two main stars which are the heart of the team. Kevin de bruyne is one of, if not, the best playmakers in the world, while Romelu Lukaku is the top scorer in Belgium’s history. Belgium’s nets are in safe hands with the best goalkeeper in the world Thibaut Courtois
On the management side, Roberto Martínez will lead the Belgian dreams one more time. Martínez loves offensive games and will use all the abilities of his team to play a cup to remember.
Fandom
Football is the most popular game in Belgium with respectful fans who rarely participate in riots.
Fun Fact
The city of Spa
The word “spa” comes from the Belgian city of Spa, located in the province of Liège.
Spa is world-famous for its many natural mineral springs, and over time the name of the city became synonymous with any health resort with therapeutic baths, hot springs, or wellness treatments.
