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Looking to place a bet on Belgium at the 2018 World Cup? You have come to the right place. This page provides a comprehensive wrap of all things Belgium for the World Cup of Soccer: result history, statistical analysis, future matches and most importantly, the best odds and lines from a variety of top online sportsbooks. Review tournament performance, plan for upcoming fixtures and place your wager with confidence right here.
Belgium’s World Cup 2022 Standings
Belgium head Group G, which also includes Panama, Tunisia and England. Below you will find their current tournament standings, updated after every matchday.
Belgium’s Odds To Win The World Cup 2022
Belgium is certainly in with a shot of winning the World Cup. They have a world-class squad of players who play at some of the biggest clubs in Europe, and the majority of them were a part of the 2014 campaign. Sports Interaction has listed the Belgians as the sixth-best chance of lifting the World Cup trophy, behind Germany, Brazil, France, Spain and Argentina. You can jump on at +1200.
We believe Belgium is a great chance of winning the tournament, although their biggest test will come in the quarter-finals. If Belgium manages to top their group as expected, they will likely come up against Brazil in the final eight. While this will be one of the games of the tournament, we feel as though Brazil would come out on top in a match between the two.
We 100% expect Belgium to make the quarter-finals given that they will play a team from Group H in the Round of 16 regardless of whether they finish first or second. Columbia, Poland, Japan and Senegal should not cause too much of a problem for the 2014 quarter-finalists, and Sports Interaction agrees, offering just -143 for them to do so.
If you believe Belgium can make it one step further, you can take odds of +250 for them to make the semi-finals or +500 to make it to the final. While it’s not clear where Belgium will end up, they are certainly an exciting team to watch and will make for an exhilarating wager.
Belgium’s Squad & Key Players
All teams must declare a 30 man squad for the World Cup by the middle of May, while the final 23 man squads don’t have to be finalized until the first week of June, just days prior to the tournament start date. We will update you when the team sheets are announced, but first, let’s take a look at some of the most important players in the Belgian team and who we think will play a big part in the competition.
Eden Hazard (Winger)
Hazard has had issues with form over the past few years, summed up by his superb performances for Chelsea in the 2014/15 and 2016/17 title-winning squads and his lacklustre showing in the 2015/16 campaign. Yet you can’t deny that on form he is an elite winger who can single-handedly tear apart defences. He will have learnt plenty from his first World Cup, and the extra responsibility of the captaincy should ensure strong performances.
Kevin De Bruyne (Midfielder)
Probably the most in-form midfielder in the world at the moment, Kevin De Bruyne has been an absolute beast for Manchester City this season. His vision, expertly timed passes and a knack for scoring important goals is a bonus for any side he plays for, and the national team will be hard to beat with him in the middle of the park.
Romelu Lukaku (Forward)
Despite being one of the most expensive forwards in history after his big-money move to Manchester United, Lukaku has plenty of competition in the Belgian forward-line. Napoli’s Dries Mertens and Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi are the biggest threats, while the nation’s incredible depth also includes Christian Benteke and Divock Origi.
Lukaku has already scored 31 goals for his country and it’s hard to believe he is still just 24 years old. After scoring at the 2014 World Cup, he could well go on to represent his country in four or even five tournaments.
Thibaut Courtois (Goalkeeper)
Belgium’s depth is so great that they boast two goalkeepers that play in the biggest clubs in England. While Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet is often handed the gloves, there’s no doubt that Courtois is the better between the sticks, and he will be crucial to his team’s success in Russia, particularly if any of their knockout round matches go to penalties.
The Coach – Roberto Martinez
Martinez made 425 senior appearances as a defensive midfielder, making a name for himself in the lower leagues of England with Wigan Athletic and Swansea City. After captaining Swansea between 2003 and 2006, the Spaniard returned to manage the side from 2007 to 2009, helping them to promotion. He also returned to Wigan to help the club fight off relegation for three consecutive seasons and also secure their first-ever FA Cup trophy.
In 2013, Martinez left for Everton and continued to be successful, helping Everton to a fifth-placed finish in the 2013-14 season, however, a downturn in the club’s fortunes saw him sacked in 2016, and was signed by the Belgian team after their unsuccessful European Championships campaign. Since his first match in charge, which ended in a 1-0 defeat by Spain, Belgium has not lost a match, winning eleven of fifteen games.
Belgium’s World Cup 2022 Lineup
Belgium’s latest international was the friendly played against Japan on November 14th, 2017. The full lineup was as follows.
Starting Lineup (3-2-2-3)
Simon Mignolet (Liverpool) – Christian Kabasele (Watford), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur) – Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian) – Thomas Meunier (PSG), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion) – Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Reserves: Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Laurent Ciman, Jordan Lukaku, Leander Dendoncker, Mousa Dembele, Steven Defour, Adnan Januzaj, Youri Tielemans, Kevin Mirallas, Laurent Depoitre, Divock Origi.
Belgium’s FIFA World Cup History
The Belgians have reached the World Cup on twelve occasions and were one of the thirteen teams who participated in the inaugural event in 1930. Since their trip to Uruguay, Belgium has had a mixed run at the world’s biggest sporting event, experiencing periods of great success in between spells of below-average performances. Their best era was between 1982 and 2002, although their current squad is perhaps on course to rival their greatest.
Belgium was one of very few teams to make an appearance in the first three World Cups, although they did little more than make up the numbers. Their first campaign featured two losses, against the USA and Paraguay, where they failed to score a goal. In the next two events, Belgium failed to progress to the second round in what was a straight knockout format at the time.
In fact, Belgium did not manage a win in their first four World Cup appearances, although they picked up their first point in the group stage of the 1954 edition in Switzerland against England. Belgium then failed to qualify for the next three tournaments, re-emerging in 1970 and finally picking up their first win in another group stage exit – they beat El Salvador 3-0.
After failing to qualify for the next two World Cups, Belgium made six consecutive tournaments between 1982 and 2002, their best run to date. Arguably their most famous win came at the 1982 event as they overcame defending champions Argentina. The Belgians navigated the first group stage comfortably, before falling to Poland and the Soviet Union in the second round.
Four years later, Belgium recorded its best performance at the tournament to date. After limping through the group stage and qualifying for the second round despite their third-placed finish, they managed to defeat the Soviets 4-3 after extra time and overcame Spain in a penalty shootout. Diego Maradona then scored a brace to eliminate the Belgians at the semi-final stage.
Belgium made it to the Round of 16 in three of the next four World Cups, before another twelve-year absence from the tournament. However, they returned impressively in 2014, topping their group with wins over Algeria, Russia and South Korea. It took them extra time to defeat the USA in the second round, while old foes Argentina managed to halt their progress in the quarters.
With an older and wiser squad expected to line up in Russia, containing some of the world’s greatest players, Belgium is expected to achieve plenty in this year’s World Cup. Their qualification campaign, although in a fairly weak group, showed the world what to expect from this Belgian side. 43 goals from ten matches and just six goals conceded is a sign of their quality, and they will be favourites to top a group containing Panama, Tunisia and England.
