TEAM

BELGIUM

GROUP: E

PLAYER TO WATCH: Romelu Lukaku

EXPECTED FINISH: Quarter-finals

The Belgians lead the charge as heavy favourites to win Group E and perhaps the entire competition. Since appointing Domenico Tedesco at the helm, Belgium have not lost a single game in nearly two years – a streak with plenty of highlights, including a 2-2 draw with England in their most recent skirmish.

Undefeated streak aside, Belgium are currently ranked third in the world behind only France and Argentina – which is 19 places higher than the second-best team in the group (Ukraine). This gap is even more noticeable when you look at the rankings of Romania (46th) and Slovakia (48th). While anything can happen in football, De Rode Duivels have topped their group in the past two European Championships and look likely to do it again.

Here are Belgium’s Group E fixtures:

Belgium vs Slovakia: 17th June (Frankfurt Arena)
Belgium vs Romania: 22nd June (Cologne Stadium)
Ukraine vs Belgium: 26th June (Stuttgart Arena)

If Belgium win the group, they will qualify directly for the knockout stage, facing the third place team from Group A, B, C or D. Finishing second in the group could result in a much harder game in the round of 16, as it would mean playing the second place team from Group D – a group that includes the Netherlands, France, Poland and Austria.

Winning the group and advancing to the quarter-finals would mean a meeting between the Group D winner or the runner-up of Group F followed by a potential semi-final with England, the current favourites to win the tournament. Making it all the way to Berlin will be tough, with the 2024 final being the biggest test of all against possibly Portugal, Germany or Spain.

Standings

Venues

Key players

Belgium’s 26-man squad is expected to be a lot more youthful compared to those in previous tournaments but still features players from the golden generation. This combination could prove pivotal in helping De Rode Duivels raise their first-ever trophy on one of the biggest stages in world football. The following players will be key in accomplishing this:

Romelu Lukaku

Caps (goals): 114 (83)

Position: Forward

Club: AS Roma (on loan from Chelsea)

Few strikers are as prolific as Romelu Lukaku at international level. He is Belgium’s all-time leading goal scorer with 83 goals, with only Cristiano Ronaldo netting more for a European nation (128 for Portugal). Always a dominant threat, it’s likely he will extend his record even further this summer having scored four times at the last European Championships in 2020, the joint-second-highest of the tournament behind Patrik Schick and Ronaldo.

Kevin De Bruyne

Caps (goals): 99 (26)

Position: Midfielder

Club: Manchester City

Kevin De Bruyne is Belgium’s prized playmaker and captain who is having quite the season at Manchester City despite missing most of the current campaign due to a hamstring injury. De Bruyne has still assisted almost 20 times across all competitions for City which, even by his usual standards, is quite impressive. While De Bruyne has missed most of Belgium’s recent games, there’s no denying the form he is in and what he brings to the team.

Jeremy Doku

Caps (goals): 20 (2)

Position: Winger

Club: Manchester City

An exciting young player with incredible pace and precision, keep your eyes on Jeremy Doku. The 21-year-old Manchester City man has danced into a treble-winning side and shows no signs of slowing down. His dribbling is easily one of his best attributes for City, completing a Premier League-leading 4.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes. He has been used as a super sub under Tedesco in recent games but can easily play a full 90 minutes if called upon as the tournament progresses.

Leandro Trossard

Caps (goals): 32 (7)

Position: Winger

Club: Arsenal

A two-footed finisher with a knack for scoring crucial goals in key moments, Leandro Trossard is another Belgian to watch this summer. For Arsenal, Trossard has scored or assisted in various key games – such as the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford – recording a goal or assist every 120 minutes despite only starting in 17 games this season. His versatility is also one of his greatest strengths; up front, on the wing or even at wing-back, Trossard can do it all.

Previous performances in the Euros

Belgium have a respectable record at the European Championships, making it to at least the quarter-finals in four of the six tournaments they have competed in. That said, Belgium have never won a major competition at this level – other than a gold medal in the 1920 Olympics. The closest the Belgians have come to winning the Euros was in 1980 when they lost 2-1 to West Germany in the final.

Belgium’s previous performances in the Euros over the years in full:

1960: Did not qualify
1964: Did not qualify
1968: Did not qualify
1972: Third place (lost 2-1 to West Germany in semi-finals)
1976: Did not qualify
1980: Second place (lost 2-1 to West Germany in final)
1984: Group stage (third in Group 1)
1988: Did not qualify
1992: Did not qualify
1996: Did not qualify
2000: Group stage (third in Group B)
2004: Did not qualify
2008: Did not qualify
2012: Did not qualify
2016: Quarter-finals (lost 3-1 to Wales)
2020: Quarter-finals (lost 2-1 to Italy)

Expectations

Belgium have the chance to end generations of heartache this summer, but the devil on their shoulder is the reminder that it’s been over 40 years since the 1980 final. Momentum is on the side of De Rode Duivels, which will likely result in them topping Group E and making it through to the quarter-finals, but the quality of the opposition during the latter stages of the competition could prove too much for the Belgians.

Check out our Belgium betting odds for all our latest prices throughout the European Championships.

Odds and player information correct at time of publication but subject to change