Belgium
Belgium are a UEFA national team who reached number one in the FIFA world rankings and made the 2018 World Cup semi-final with what was called the greatest generation in Belgian football history.
The Red Devils of 2014 to 2022 were built on an extraordinary alignment of talent. Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Dries Mertens, and Jan Vertonghen were all at their peak simultaneously, a demographic coincidence that Belgium may not see again for a generation. The team finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, beating Brazil 2-1 in the quarter-finals with a counter-attack goal from Chadli in the 94th minute that deflated a Brazilian side that had been the pre-tournament favourite. In the semi-final against France, they lost 1-0 to a Samuel Umtiti header. The margin was thin.
What that generation never won is the honest accounting. The talent was there. The tactical alignment was not always. Roberto Martinez’s system asked De Bruyne to operate in a midfield role that suited Belgium’s personnel better on paper than in practice. The pressing triggers were inconsistent. At Euro 2020, an Italy side managed by Roberto Mancini pressed Belgium out of the tournament in the quarter-final, exploiting exactly the physical decline of Hazard and Mertens that Martinez had not planned for.
The current Belgium squad is in transition. De Bruyne remains the creative axis and is still capable of producing the best single pass in any given match at any given tournament. Lukaku continues to accumulate goals despite carrying the tension of a career defined by what could have been. Lois Openda at RB Leipzig has emerged as the most explosive striker option in the squad. Jeremy Doku brings direct pace from wide areas.
Domenico Tedesco, who replaced Martinez in 2023, has tightened the defensive shape and accepted that this Belgium side will not control games the way the golden generation could. The tactical identity is now a compact 4-3-3 that invites pressure, then attacks quickly through De Bruyne’s distribution and the forwards’ movement.
Brussels is in the CET timezone (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer). For fans in Belgium, matches in the US Central timezone kick off between 01:00 and 03:00 CEST, requiring the dedication the golden generation’s performances used to make easy to justify.