The Belgian Red Devils played their maiden international match in 1904, drawing 3-3 against rivals France at the Stade du Vivier d’Oie in Uccle. Interestingly, Belgium was one of the first mainland European nations to play association football, with club games contested as long ago as 1863.

Below, you’ll find a detailed history of Red Devils’ Belgium football. This will include the early years of the national team and their biggest tournament achievements, alongside some of the greatest players ever to represent the country.

Early Years of the National Team

Some 20 days after the Red Devils’ first match against France, both nations’ football boards were among seven founders of the FIFA organization. From 1905 onwards, Belgium began to forge a bitter rivalry with neighbours Holland. Typically, they would play the Netherlands twice a year, once in Antwerp and then in Rotterdam. Through 1925, Belgian-Dutch cup trophies were awarded in the so-called Low Countries derby.

The team was afforded the nickname the Red Devils in 1906, largely because of the red jerseys that they wore. The country continued to contest a combination of competitive games and friendly matches over time, although many such fixtures were unrecognised during the Great War.

In 1920, however, Belgium won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics. They prevailed on home soil on their first official Olympics appearance, although the final was mired in controversy after their Czech opponents left the field. Interestingly, this didn’t translate into initial success at the World Cup, with the Belgians losing all four games during the three tournaments held between 1930 and 1938.

Belgium’s Strongest Periods

Belgium actually failed to win any of their first seven World Cup finals games, before eventually defeating El Salvador 3-0 in 1970. However, they still didn’t qualify for the knockout stage in Mexico, while Belgium did not appear at all in either the 1974 or 1978 finals.

The 1980s

The Red Devils of Belgium saw their fortunes change at the start of the next decade. Having built a squad comprising several members of the Club Brugge side that reached the European Cup final in 1977/78, Belgium excelled during Euro 1980 and qualified for the showpiece match against West Germany.

Although they were defeated in Rome, this was the beginning of the first golden age for Belgian football. The Red Devils qualified for six consecutive World Cup finals between 1982 and 2002, earning a fourth place finish in Mexico in 1986. The legendary Jan Ceulemans was central to the nation’s success in ‘86, scoring three tournament goals, including the opening strike in the last four defeat against Spain.

Comeback in the 2010s

Belgium reached the round of 16 at both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, but embarked on another lean spell at the turn of the century. They failed to qualify for both the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, and were also absent from the European Championship finals in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

However, Belgium roared back with a second golden generation during the 2010s, powered by the emergence of record scorer Romelu Lukaku and midfield playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgians reached successive quarterfinals at the 2016 and 2020 Euros, while also achieving third place at the 2018 World Cup.

They qualified for the last eight of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil too, before losing 1-0 to eventual finalists Argentina courtesy of an early Gonzalo Higuaín goal.

Recent World Cup and EURO Runs

The most recent World Cup and Euro runs have been a little more disappointing. The Red Devils were eliminated at the group stage of the FIFA 2022 World Cup, for example, with a 2-0 defeat against Morocco helping the Atlas Lions to progress at their expense. They also won just one of their four matches at Euro 2024, with France eliminating Belgium 1-0 in the round of 16 following a late Jan Vertonghen own goal.

The Red Devils’ Most Important Players

Famous Captains

Eden Hazard is Belgium’s most famous captain, having led the Red Devils a record 59 times between 2015 and 2022. The mercurial winger, who struck 33 goals in his 126 appearances for the nation, was also central to Belgium’s impressive run during the 2018 World Cup.

The aforementioned Jan Ceulemans is another famous captain of the Belgian national team. He skippered his country 48 times between 1984 and 1991, while also scoring 23 goals in his 96 caps overall. His leadership helped the team to enjoy a sustained period of success during the 80’s.

Anderlecht’s prolific striker Paul Van Himst captained the Red Devils on 38 occasions, including during the team’s first ever World Cup victory over El Salvador in 1970. He also hit 30 goals in his 81 caps, placing him joint-fourth in the country’s all-time top-scorer list.

Top Goalscorers

Unsurprisingly, Romelu Lukaku is the all-time top scorer for the Belgium Red Devils, plundering an impressive 89 goals in 124 matches at a rate of 0.72 per 90 minutes. The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United forward has also notched a record 11 goals at major tournaments for Belgium. This haul includes five at the World Cup and six in European Championship finals.

Lukaku forged a potent partnership with creative kingpin Kevin De Bruyne during Belgium’s golden generation of the 2010s. The former Manchester City midfielder is his country’s second top scorer overall, notching 36 goals in 115 matches at 0.31 per game. Robert De Veen was one of Belgium’s most famous early goalscorers, notching 26 goals in just 23 appearances between 1906 and 1913. He has the best strike-rate in the nation’s history, scoring 1.13 goals per game.

Key Defenders and Midfielders

One of Belgium’s most loved and talented players, Enzo Scifo became the youngest ever player to represent the Red Devils at the Euro Championship finals in 1984. He was aged just 18 years and three months when he appeared against Yugoslavia. Schifo also appeared in four different World Cups, starring in 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998. He shares this record with fellow midfielder Franky Van der Elst, although Schifo has made the most finals appearances in the tournament (17).

Defender Jan Vertonghen is Belgium’s most capped player, making an incredible 157 appearances between 2007 and 2024. For much of this time, he forged a formidable central defensive partnership with Toby Alderweireld. He made 127 appearances in total, operating as both a central defender and powerful left back.

Belgium’s Biggest Tournament Moments

Belgium have only reached one major final, at the 1980 European Championships. Here, they succumbed to two Horst Hrubesch goals in a narrow 2-1 loss to West Germany, with the winner coming just two minutes from the end of normal time.

The Belgians were within touching distance of another final appearance in 2018, this time in the FIFA World Cup. Having defeated Brazil 3-2 in the last eight, they slipped to a narrow 1-0 reversal against France in the semi-finals in Saint Petersburg. Powerful centre back Samuel Umtiti scored the winner from a corner kick.

How Belgium Became a Top National Team

Belgium was one of the original FIFA founders, and a nation that achieved early success in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Although it struggled to win during its initial World Cup appearances, the side played a key role in helping to popularise the competition prior to the Second World War.

The Red Devils have also reached nine of the last 11 World Cup finals contested, making them one of the most consistent footballing countries in the whole of mainland Europe.