New Belgium squad bidding to usurp the ‘Golden Generation’ at next summer’s World Cup | OneFootball

Belgium will bid to shake off their status as ‘nearly men’ when they participate in the 2026 World Cup in North America next summer. A 7-0 home victory over Liechtenstein endured the Red Devils secured an automatic spot in the tournament and a chance to put previous failures behind them.

While Belgium have not lost a World Cup qualifier since 2009, a third-place finish seven years ago is the best result they have achieved on the biggest stage. Their so-called ‘Golden Generation’ ultimately failed to get the job done, but the current group of players could rewrite the narrative.

Meunier praises Garcia’s impact

Belgium defender Thomas Meunier has praised Rudi Garcia for the impact he has had since replacing Domenico Tedesco as manager in January. Tedesco led Belgium to the 2024 European Championship, but his team failed to get beyond the round of 16 after being defeated by France. 

That was the latest in a series of underwhelming results at an international tournament, and left people questioning whether Belgium would ever win a major trophy. Garcia’s appointment has breathed new life into the squad, and Meunier believes they are now heading in the right direction.

“The new staff that has arrived is breathing something fresh, something new and, frankly, they are doing their job well and the group is behind them” Meunier said. “They are two completely different staffs. We can’t even compare them. It’s really a new generation with always reinventing football, new exercises and new tactics. It’s something enriching, but it’s not necessarily within everyone’s reach.”

“Of course, we can always improve our game, but when you come to the national team there’s always something to work on. And it’s going to be important to get closer to perfection. And we have the players to do that. When you see, for example, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, they are all teams that are struggling. And we’re still here. We are first in the group with no defeats.”

New generation aiming to prove they are golden

Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were among a stellar group of players who ultimately failed to live up to expectations for Belgium. Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku are the only remnants of an era that was ultimately defined by missed opportunities.

Belgium were superb at the 2018 World Cup, defeating Brazil on their way to a semi-final clash with France. They failed to get over the line. Fast forward to earlier this year and Tedesco’s exit resulted in another reset for the national team. Garcia has proved to be a breath of fresh air. He has expertly blended Belgium’s stalwarts with an exciting new crop of players to create a squad which could challenge for the World Cup title next summer.

Amadou Onana, Zeno Debast and Jeremy Doku are amongst the new generation of talents who could help Belgium break their duck at international level. Jorthy Mokio, Diego Moreira and Romeo Lavia are other emerging starts with the potential to lead the Red Devils into an exciting new era.

Jean-Marie Pfaff, who the goalkeeper in the side that reached the 1980 European Championship final and the 1986 World Cup semi-finals, believes they are capable of going all the way. “More would have been possible with the ‘Golden Generation’, but Belgium will continue to have a team that can compete at the top in the future,” Pfaff said. “The young players may have to learn the hard way over the next few months, but something big could happen again in Belgium.”

Spain & France the biggest threats to Belgium

The latest odds for the World Cup have pegged Belgium as likely candidates to exit the tournament in the round of 16. However, with doubts surrounding most of the main contenders, the bookmakers may have underestimated their chances of emerging victorious.

Of the teams ahead of Belgium in the outright market, it is feasible to pick holes in the chances of England, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands. Argentina and Brazil should be competitive, yet neither of them are unbeatable. As for Italy, they may not even qualify for the tournament.

Spain and France undoubtedly leap off the page as teams who could scupper Belgium’s hopes of breaking their duck in a major tournament next summer. La Roja were dominant at Euro 2024 and have continued to impress since then. France have strength in depth in every position.

While they are both likely to be formidable in North America, Belgium are perfectly capable of mounting a strong challenge to win their first big trophy.

GBeNeFN | Zach Lowy