Belgium will head into the World Cup off the back of a defeat, losing 1-0 to the Netherlands in their final Nations League match in September. Three days earlier Kevin De Bruyne had starred in a 2-1 win over Wales.
Broader recent results will nevertheless certainly leave them confident of progressing from the group stage at World Cup 2022 in Qatar, with Croatia their biggest threat in Group F. The Fifa world rankings have Belgium at number two.
The Belgians topped their qualifying group with eight victories and two draws, including an 8-0 thrashing of Belarus. Romelu Lukaku finished top scorer for his country in qualifying with five goals.
Their recent results mean they will head into the tournament as the second-ranked team behind top-ranked Brazil.
Roberto Martinez was appointed coach of the Belgium national team in August 2016. Since then he has led them to their highest ever World Cup finish and guided them to the top of the Fifa world rankings where they stayed between September 2018 and February 2021. At Euro 2020 Belgium were knocked out by eventual winners Italy in the quarter-finals.
Belgium World Cup 2022 squad
World Cup squads are usually announced around six weeks before the World Cup starts. This year the World Cup will run from Nov 20-Dec 18.
Who are likely to be the star names in the squad?
Belgium’s stars include Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, but wait with bated breath to see if their star striker Romelu Lukaku will regain full form and fitness ahead of landing in Qatar.
Lukaku, who is on loan from Chelsea at Inter Milan, has been injured since mid-September, and is only beginning to return to the bench in Serie A. Martinez described the striker as one of his “irreplaceable players”, alongside De Bruyne and Courtois.
“You cannot replace them one on one,” he added. “If they don’t play, we have to play in a different way.”
What are Belgium’s fixtures?
What is Belgium’s World Cup record?
Belgium’s best World Cup finish came in the last edition of the tournament. They secured third place at Russia 2018 after beating England in the play-off, bettering their previous highest finish of fourth in 1986. Belgium first qualified for the tournament in 1930 and will compete in it for the 14th time this winter.
Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon | Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | Ecuador | England | France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico | Morocco | Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Serbia | South Korea | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Uruguay | USA | Wales
Latest odds
Lukaku to claim the Golden Boot? Find the latest top scorer odds here
Belgium are currently 16/1 to win World Cup 2022.
Other leading contenders…
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Brazil 4/1
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France 6/1
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Argentina 6/1
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England 7/1
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Spain 15/2
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Germany 10/1
Information correct as of November 8