Belgium at the FIFA World Cup

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Belgium have appeared in the finals tournament of the FIFA World Cup on twelve occasions, the first being at the first in 1930 where they finished in eleventh place.

Traditionally, Belgium's greatest rival is Netherlands. The two countries have met each other twice in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with one win for Belgium (USA 1994) and one tie (France 1998). The team that played most against Belgium in the finals is the continuum USSR-Russia: 5 times, with three victories for Belgium and two for the Soviet Union.[1]

Images of Belgium's first ever match on a World Cup in Uruguay 1930, the earliest World Cup, against the United States
In their golden era, Belgium featured two goalkeepers who were named the best at that position in the World Cup; Jean-Marie Pfaff (left) in 1986 and Michel Preud'homme (right) in 1994.

FIFA World Cup record

Belgium reached six successive World Cups from 1982 through 2002 by playing qualification rounds, a record bettered only by Spain whose 2014 World Cup is their eighth consecutive qualification (a streak going back to 1986). On top of that, in that era the Belgian team reached the second phase five out of six times. The preceding five participations between 1930 and 1970 were not as successful, as Belgium never survived the first round. After two scoreless defeats at the inaugurational World Cup in 1930, Belgium scored their first two World Cup goals in 1934 against Germany, by virtue of Bernard Voorhoof. However, both in 1934 and 1938 the Red Devils went out with a single loss. In 1954 they held England at a tie (4–4) and in 1970 they achieved their first World Cup win, against El Salvador (3–0).

1930 FIFA World Cup

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 United States 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 4
 Paraguay 2 1 0 1 1 3 −2 2
 Belgium 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0

13 July 1930
15:00 UYT (UTC−03:30)
United States  3–0  Belgium
McGhee Goal 23'[2]
Florie Goal 45'[2]
Patenaude Goal 69'[2]		 Report
Estadio Parque Central, Montevideo
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: José Macías (Argentina)

20 July 1930
15:00 UYT (UTC−03:30)
Paraguay  1–0  Belgium
Vargas Peña Goal 40'[2] Report
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Attendance: 900
Referee: Ricardo Vallarino (Uruguay)

1934 FIFA World Cup

The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament.

27 May 1934
16:30 (CEST)
Germany  5 – 2  Belgium
Kobierski Goal 25'
Siffling Goal 49'
Conen Goal 66', 70', 87'		 Report Voorhoof Goal 29', 43'
Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence
Attendance: ~8,000
Referee: Francesco Mattea (Italy)

1938 FIFA World Cup

5 June 1938
17:00 (WEST)
France  3–1  Belgium
Veinante Goal 1'
Nicolas Goal 16', 69'		 Report Isemborghs Goal 38'

1954 FIFA World Cup

According to journalist Henry Guldemont, some of his Swiss colleagues regarded the 1954 Belgian team as "favourites for the world title" after a promising 4–4 opener against England.[3][4] However, in the second and last group match against Italy, Belgium was defeated 1–4 and was unable to proceed to the finals.

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 England 2 1 1 0 6 4 3
  Switzerland 2 1 0 1 2 3 2
 Italy 2 1 0 1 5 3 2
 Belgium 2 0 1 1 5 8 1
  • Switzerland finished ahead of Italy by winning a play-off

17 June 1954
18:10 (CET)
England  4–4 (a.e.t.)  Belgium
Broadis Goal 26', 63'
Lofthouse Goal 36', 91'		 Report Anoul Goal 5', 71'
Coppens Goal 67'
Dickinson Goal 94' (o.g.)
St. Jakob Stadium, Basel
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Emil Schmetzer (West Germany)

20 June 1954
17:00 (CET)
Italy  4–1  Belgium
Pandolfini Goal 41' (pen.)
Galli Goal 48'
Frignani Goal 58'
Lorenzi Goal 78'		 Report Anoul Goal 81'
Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Carl Erich Steiner (Austria)

1970 FIFA World Cup

Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Soviet Union 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 5
 Mexico 3 2 1 0 5 0 +5 5
 Belgium 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 2
 El Salvador 3 0 0 3 0 9 −9 0

3 June 1970
16:00
Belgium  3–0  El Salvador
Van Moer Goal 12', 54'
Lambert Goal 76' (pen.)		 Report
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Attendance: 92,205
Referee: Andrei Rădulescu (Romania)

6 June 1970
16:00
Soviet Union  4–1  Belgium
Byshovets Goal 14', 63'
Asatiani Goal 57'
Khmelnytskyi Goal 76'		 Report Lambert Goal 86'
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Attendance: 95,261
Referee: Rudolf Scheurer (Switzerland)

11 June 1970
16:00
Mexico  1–0  Belgium
Peña Goal 14' (pen.) Report

1982 FIFA World Cup

In the first game of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, held at Camp Nou, Belgium celebrated one of their most famous victories: a 0–1 win over defending champions Argentina with a goal by Erwin Vandenbergh. After pushing through to the second group stage of that tournament, Belgium was stunned by a Polish hat-trick from Zbigniew Boniek. The decisive match against the Soviet Union ended in a 0–1 loss.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Belgium 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2 5
 Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 4
 Hungary 3 1 1 1 12 6 +6 3
 El Salvador 3 0 0 3 1 13 −12 0

13 June 1982
20:00 CEST
Argentina  0–1  Belgium
Report Vandenbergh Goal 62'
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Attendance: 95,500
Referee: Vojtěch Christov (Czechoslovakia)

19 June 1982
21:00 CEST
Belgium  1–0  El Salvador
Coeck Goal 19' Report
Nuevo Estadio, Elche
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Malcolm Moffat (Northern Ireland)

22 June 1982
21:00 CEST
Belgium  1–1  Hungary
Czerniatynski Goal 76' Report Varga Goal 27'
Nuevo Estadio, Elche
Attendance: 37,000
Referee: Clive White (England)
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Poland 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 3
 Soviet Union 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 3
 Belgium 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0

28 June 1982
21:00 CEST
Poland  3–0  Belgium
Boniek Goal 4', 26', 53' Report
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Luis Paulino Siles (Costa Rica)

1 July 1982
21:00 CEST
Belgium  0–1  Soviet Union
Report Oganesian Goal 48'
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Michel Vautrot (France)

1986 FIFA World Cup

Four years later they achieved their best-ever World Cup run when they placed fourth at Mexico 1986. Picked up as the best third-placed team, in the knockout phase Belgium surprisingly won against favourites Soviet Union after extra time (3–4). Different from the previous World Cup, the Red Devils were able to surmount an opponents' hat-trick (this time from Igor Belanov), something that only Brazil and Austria achieved as well in World Cup history (respectively in 1938 and 1954).[5] Belgium also beat Spain on penalties after a 1–1 draw, but they conceded a 2–0 loss against eventual champions Argentina in the semifinal - both goals scored by football icon Diego Maradona. In the third-place match Belgium lost to France (4–2) after extra time. Captain and midfielder Jan Ceulemans and goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff were the first Belgian players to be selected in the All-Star Team of a World Cup. Enzo Scifo was elected as best young player of the tournament.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Mexico 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 5
 Paraguay 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 4
 Belgium 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 3
 Iraq 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0

3 June 1986 (First Round)
12:00 CST
Belgium  1 – 2  Mexico
Vandenbergh Goal 45' Report Quirarte Goal 23'
Sánchez Goal 39'
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Attendance: 110,000
Referee: Carlos Espósito (Argentina)

8 June 1986 (First Round)
12:00 CST
Iraq  1 – 2  Belgium
Radhi Goal 59' Report Scifo Goal 16'
Claesen Goal 21' (pen.)
Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Jesús Díaz (Colombia)

11 June 1986 (First Round)
12:00 CST
Paraguay  2 – 2  Belgium
Cabañas Goal 50', 76' Report Vercauteren Goal 30'
Veyt Goal 59'
Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Bogdan Dotchev (Bulgaria)

15 June 1986 (Second Round)
16:00 CST
Soviet Union  3 – 4 (a.e.t.)  Belgium
Belanov Goal 27', 70', 111' (pen.) Report Scifo Goal 56'
Ceulemans Goal 77'
Demol Goal 102'
Claesen Goal 110'
Estadio Nou Camp, León
Attendance: 32,277
Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)

22 June 1986 (Quarter-Final)
16:00 CST
Spain  1 – 1 (a.e.t.)  Belgium
Señor Goal 85' Report Ceulemans Goal 35'
  Penalties  
Señor Penalty scored
Eloy Penalty missed
Chendo Penalty scored
Butragueño Penalty scored
Víctor Penalty scored		 4 – 5 Penalty scored Claesen
Penalty scored Scifo
Penalty scored Broos
Penalty scored Vervoort
Penalty scored L. Van Der Elst

25 June 1986 (Semi-Final)
16:00 CST
Argentina  2 – 0  Belgium
Maradona Goal 51', 63' Report

28 June 1986 (Third Place Play-Off)
12:00 CST
France  4 – 2 (a.e.t.)  Belgium
Ferreri Goal 27'
Papin Goal 43'
Genghini Goal 104'
Amoros Goal 111' (pen.)		 Report Ceulemans Goal 11'
Claesen Goal 73'
Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla
Attendance: 21,000
Referee: George Courtney (England)

1990 FIFA World Cup

In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Belgium survived the group phase by wins against South Korea and Uruguay (2–0 and 3–1). In the second round they did well against England, dominating the match by periods and with Enzo Scifo even hitting the woodwork twice.[6] With a persisting 0–0 penalties seemed unavoidable, but eventually they lost in the last minute of extra time after a "nearly blind" volley by David Platt.[7] Scifo was elected as second best player of the 1990 World Cup after Lothar Matthäus.[8]

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 5
 Belgium 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 4
 Uruguay 3 1 1 1 2 3 −1 3
 South Korea 3 0 0 3 1 6 −5 0

12 June 1990
17:00
Belgium  2–0  South Korea
Degryse Goal 53'
De Wolf Goal 64'		 Report
Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona
Attendance: 32,790
Referee: Vincent Mauro (United States)

17 June 1990
21:00
Belgium  3–1  Uruguay
Clijsters Goal 16'
Scifo Goal 22'
Ceulemans Goal 48'		 Report Bengoechea Goal 74'

21 June 1990
17:00
Belgium  1–2  Spain
Vervoort Goal 28' Report Míchel Goal 20' (pen.)
Górriz Goal 38'

26 June 1990 (Second Round)
21:00
England  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Belgium
Platt Goal 119' Report
Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
Attendance: 34,520
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)

1994 FIFA World Cup

In the 1994 FIFA World Cup two 1–0 wins in round 1 against Morocco and the Netherlands were remarkably not enough to finish second, but Belgium advanced as they were among the best four third-placed teams. In the second round they lost to title defenders Germany (3–2). During this last game, the Belgians were frustrated that Swiss referee Kurt Röthlisberger had not awarded them a penalty kick when German defender Thomas Helmer brought down their striker Josip Weber in the penalty area with a bump from behind.[9] After the match, Röthlisberger was sent home. Michel Preud'homme was elected as best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Team
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
 Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
 Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
 Morocco 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0



19 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium  1–0  Morocco
Degryse Goal 11' Report
Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 61,219
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)

25 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium  1–0  Netherlands
Albert Goal 65' Report
Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 62,387
Referee: Renato Marsiglia (Brazil)

29 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium  0–1  Saudi Arabia
Report Al-Owairan Goal 5'
RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,959
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)

2 July 1994 (Second Round)
12:00
Germany  3 – 2  Belgium
Völler Goal 6', 40'
Klinsmann Goal 11'		 Report Grün Goal 8'
Albert Goal 90'
Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 60,246
Referee: Kurt Röthlisberger (Switzerland)

1998 FIFA World Cup

In 1998 Belgium was one of only two teams, together with hosts and eventual world champions France not to lose a single game. Three draws in the first round – against Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea – proved not enough to reach the knockout stage. In 1998 Enzo Scifo and Franky Van der Elst appeared in their fourth World Cups, setting a Belgian record.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 3 1 2 0 7 2 +5 5
 Mexico 3 1 2 0 7 5 +2 5
 Belgium 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3
 South Korea 3 0 1 2 2 9 −7 1

13 June 1998 (First Round)
21:00
Netherlands  0–0  Belgium
Report
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy)

20 June 1998 (First Round)
17:30
Belgium  2–2  Mexico
Wilmots Goal 43', 47' Report García Aspe Goal 55' (pen.)
Blanco Goal 62'
Parc Lescure, Bordeaux
Attendance: 31,800
Referee: Hugh Dallas (Scotland)

25 June 1998 (First Round)
16:00
Belgium  1–1  South Korea
Nilis Goal 7' Report Yoo Sang-Chul Goal 71'

2002 FIFA World Cup

With two ties, the 2002 FIFA World Cup did not start well for Belgium, but the team improved during the tournament. Captain Marc Wilmots was notable for scoring in every match of the first round. Belgium won the decisive group match against Russia with 3–2 and in the second round they had to play against eventual champions Brazil. In this 1/8th final, referee Peter Prendergast disallowed a headed goal by Wilmots that would have given Belgium a 0–1 lead, after a "phantom foul" on Roque Júnior.[10] Eventually Brazil won 2–0, but Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted after this match that Belgium was a tough edge and after the tournament he declared that the match against the Red Devils had been the hardest for Brazil to win.[11] With the World Cup final still to go, the team did win the tournament's fair-play award.[12] Marc Wilmots equalled the record of Enzo Scifo and Franky Van der Elst by appearing in 4 World Cup squads, although he did not play in his first World Cup in 1990. Wilmots also scored his 5th World Cup goal against Russia, which made him Belgium's top scorer in World Cup Finals matches.[13]

Team
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Japan 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7
 Belgium 3 1 2 0 6 5 +1 5
 Russia 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
 Tunisia 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1



4 June 2002
18:00
Japan  2–2  Belgium
Suzuki Goal 59'
Inamoto Goal 67'		 Report Wilmots Goal 57'
Van Der Heyden Goal 75'
Saitama Stadium, Saitama
Attendance: 55,256
Referee: William Mattus (Costa Rica)

10 June 2002
18:00
Tunisia  1–1  Belgium
Bouzaiene Goal 17' Report Wilmots Goal 13'
Ōita Big Eye Stadium, Ōita
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Mark Shield (Australia)

14 June 2002
15:30
Belgium  3–2  Russia
Walem Goal 7'
Sonck Goal 78'
Wilmots Goal 82'		 Report Beschastnykh Goal 52'
Sychev Goal 88'

17 June 2002 (Second Round)
20:30
Brazil  2–0  Belgium
Rivaldo Goal 67'
Ronaldo Goal 87'		 Report
Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe
Attendance: 40,440
Referee: Peter Prendergast (Jamaica)

2014 FIFA World Cup

In 2014, Belgium started as group favourites and beat all group opponents with the smallest margin. Thereafter, they played a round of 16 match against the United States in which American goalkeeper Tim Howard made 15 saves,[14][upper-alpha 1] crowning himself man of the match.[15] The Red Devils needed the extra time to proceed to the next stage (2–1), where they faced Argentina. In a balanced quarter-final against the Albiceleste, the World Cup ended for Belgium as they failed to equalize after Gonzalo Higuaín's early goal.


Pos Team
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Belgium 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  Algeria 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1 4
3  Russia 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
4  South Korea 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

17 June 2014
13:00
Belgium  2–1  Algeria
Fellaini Goal 70'
Mertens Goal 80'		 Report Feghouli Goal 25' (pen.)

22 June 2014
13:00
Belgium  1-0  Russia
Origi Goal 88' Report

26 June 2014
17:00
South Korea  0-1  Belgium
Report Vertonghen Goal 78'

1 July 2014 (Round of 16)
17:00
Belgium  2–1 (a.e.t.)  United States
De Bruyne Goal 93'
Lukaku Goal 105'		 Report Green Goal 107'
Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
Attendance: 51,227
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi Algeria

5 July 2014 (Quarter Finals)
13:00
Argentina  1–0  Belgium
Higuaín Goal 8' Report

Overview

Tournaments

     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place

Belgium's FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Host nation(s)
and year		 Round Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Outcome Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Round 1 11th of 13 2 0 0 2 0 4 Squad Qualified as invitees
Italy 1934 15th of 16 1 0 0 1 2 5 Squad 2nd of 4 2 0 1 1 6 8
France 1938 13th of 15 1 0 0 1 1 3 Squad 2nd of 4 2 1 1 0 4 3
23x15px 1950 Withdrew[16] Withdrew
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 12th of 16 2 0 1 1 5 8 Squad 1st of 3 4 3 1 0 11 6
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 2nd of 3 4 2 1 1 16 11
Chile 1962 3rd of 3 4 0 0 4 3 10
England 1966 1st of 4, playoff loss 5 3 0 2 12 5
Mexico 1970 Group stage 10th of 16 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 1st of 4 6 4 1 1 14 8
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2nd of 4 6 4 2 0 12 0
Argentina 1978 2nd of 4 6 3 0 3 7 6
Spain 1982 Group stage 2 10th of 24 5 2 1 2 3 5 Squad 1st of 5 8 5 1 2 12 9
Mexico 1986 Fourth place 4th of 24 7 2 2* 3 12 15 Squad 2nd of 4, playoff win 8 4 2 2 9 5
Italy 1990 Round of 16 11th of 24 4 2 0 2 6 4 Squad 1st of 5 8 4 4 0 15 5
United States 1994 11th of 24 4 2 0 2 4 4 Squad 2nd of 6 10 7 1 2 16 5
France 1998 Group stage 19th of 32 3 0 3 0 3 3 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 1 2 23 13
South Korea Japan 2002 Round of 16 14th of 32 4 1 2 1 6 7 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 2 1 27 6
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 4th of 6 10 3 3 4 16 11
South Africa 2010 4th of 6 10 3 1 6 13 20
Brazil 2014 Quarter-finals 6th of 32 5 4 0 1 6 3 Squad 1st of 6 10 8 2 0 18 4
Russia 2018 To be determined
Qatar 2022
Total Best: Fourth place 12/20 41 14 9 18 52 66 — Total 123 68 24 31 234 135
     Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Matches

Top goalscorers

Correct following the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Marc Wilmots (as trainer), Belgium's all-time top scorer at the World Cup
No. Name Goals World Cups
1 Marc Wilmots 5 1998 and 2002
2 Jan Ceulemans 4 1986 and 1990
3 Léopold Anoul 3 1954
Enzo Scifo 3 1986 and 1990
Nico Claesen 3 1986
6 Bernard Voorhoof 2 1934
Wilfried Van Moer 2 1970
Raoul Lambert 2 1970
Erwin Vandenbergh 2 1982 and 1986
Marc Degryse 2 1990 and 1994
Philippe Albert 2 1994

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ FIFA's initial match statistics showed 16 saves, and many news sources continue to use this number. The official FIFA statistics were updated on July 5, 2014 to show 15 saves.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 This is one of several goals for which the statistical details are disputed. The goalscorers and timings used here are those of FIFA, the official record. Some other sources, such as RSSSF, state a different scorer, timing, or both. See Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Guldemont 1978, p. ?.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Edworthy 1997, pp. 138-139.
  7. ↑ Witzig 2006, p. 167.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lisi 2011, p. 263.
  10. ↑ Witzig 2006, p. 289.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lisi 2007, p. 47.

Bibliography

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External links

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