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Belgium World Cup 2018 profile: Best bets, ones to watch & more
Belgium are packed with Premier League stars but need to start showing they're not big-game chokers after a disappointing Euro 2016.
Belgium Factfile
- FIFA World Ranking: 3
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 10/1
- Best Bet: Belgium to be knocked out in the quarter-finals at 9/4
- World Cup appearances: 12
- Best World Cup finish: Fourth-place (1986)
- Nickname: Les Diables Rouges (Red Devils)
Coach - Roberto Martinez: The former Everton boss was a surprise appointment for Belgium but he'll be the one steering this talented group in what is a crucial tournament for them. He won the FA Cup with Wigan but also got relegated and, while his style was lauded by many, he had plenty of critics at Everton and needs to convince at international level.
Legend - Enzo Schifo: The leader of the previous golden generation of Belgian stars, Scifo was a Rolls Royce of a number ten with flair and skill in equal measure. An eye for a pass but also tremendous dribbler, in an age of talented number tens he more than held his own. He represented Belgium in four World Cups and steered them to the semi-finals in Mexico 86.
Star Man - Kevin De Bruyne: It's a talented squad but De Bruyne gets the nod ahead of Eden Hazard after a fantastic season with Manchester City showcased his undeniable ability with the ball. Probably the best passer in world football right now, he can find a player from almost anywhere with different use of angles and weight of pass – he’s a constant danger.
Did your know? Belgium like to leave it late in World Cups, as their last eight goals in the tournament have come in the 70th minute or later.
Fun fact: Belgium has three official languages; Dutch, French and German.
Qualifying: In total control of Group H, Belgium stormed through as winners with nine victories and just one draw - scoring an incredible 43 goals along the way.
Fixtures: Panama (4pm, June 18, Sochi), Tunisia (1pm, June 23, Moscow), England (7pm, June 28, Kaliningrad)
Belgium squad
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Meunier (Paris St-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United).
Belgium Profile
Belgium head to Russia as odds-on favourites to win Group G due to their talent-laden squad.
The current golden generation has climbed to the top of the world rankings, back in 2015, but they disappointed at the following European Championship in France and need a big improvement on that form in Russia.
Belgium did make it to the last eight in their most recent appearance at the World Cup in 2014 - where they lost to Argentina 1-0.
1986 was Belgium’s best World Cup performance, but again it was Argentina in the way as they beat them 2-0 in the semi-finals, before losing to France 4-2 in the third-place play-off.
Thierry Henry offers his vast tournament experience to this group as he is assistant to Roberto Martinez.
Who to watch out for
Eden Hazard is one of many talented players in their squad. Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are just a few players the ‘Red Devils’ have to offer.
However, title winner Kevin De Bruyne will be the one to watch to see if he can replicate his fantastic Premier League campaign where he guided Manchester City to their record-breaking title win. All eyes will be on whether he can deliver on the world stage.
How did they qualify?
Belgium automatically qualified for the finals by finishing top of their qualifying group - winning nine games, drawing one and losing none with a goal difference of +37.
The highlights of the campaign include an 8-0 win over Estonia and a 9-1 victory over Gibraltar.
Romelu Lukaku was top goal scorer with 11.
Any interesting facts about Belgium?
It is fair to say beer is pretty popular in Belgium as there is an estimated 800 beers crafted and manufactured in the country.
Belgium has three official languages; Dutch, French and German.
Brussels is a major political hub, hosting many conferences including the G7 summit as well as being the headquarters of the European Union.
Belgians have a high amount of their population living in an urbanised area. According to several sources, including the World Bank, they have over 95% of their population living in urban locations.
Any famous football moments?
Romelu Lukaku’s 105th-minute strike at the 2014 World Cup sent the nation into frenzy as the ‘golden generation’ of Belgian players progressed into the quarter-finals.
Belgium finished as runners-up in Euro 1980, where they narrowly lost to West Germany 2-1 in the final in Rome.
They earned a shock 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina in the opening game of the 1982 World Cup. Erwin Vandenbergh scored in front of a 95,000-strong crowd at the Nou Camp as they downed Diego Maradona's side.