BELGIUM

Under Pressure

When Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku’s golden generation delivered a third-place finish in 2018, it kicked off a three-year stretch during which the side sat at the top of FIFA’s international rankings and seemed all but ordained to capture serious international hardware. But a Group Stage exit in 2022 presaged a painful downward drift, capped off by a disastrous 2024 in which the Red Devils claimed just 4 out of 14 matches. As the pressure mounted, fissures in the locker room began bursting into the public eye, culminating in the acrimonious departure of perhaps the planet’s best goalie in Thibaut Courtois. And while their all-world stopper has since returned (though only after the sacking of Domenico Tedesco), what hasn’t changed is that Belgium is still the only nation to have held FIFA’s number one ranking and never won a single major international tournament. Now, an aging cast of superstars is being asked to adopt a new system while integrating the next generation of talent for what’s likely their last rodeo. Based on the past few years, our magic eight ball says to bring your popcorn.