Belgium national football team - Definition and Overview

Belgium

Nickname	Rode Duivels / Diables Rouges (Red Devils)
Association	Belgian Football Association
Coach	Aimé Anthuenis, 2002-
Most caps	Jan Ceulemans (96)
Top scorer	Paul Van Himst, Bernard Voorhoof (30)
Home colours 　 Away colours
First International Belgium 3 - 3 France (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1902)
Largest win Belgium 9 - 0 Zambia (Brussels, Belgium; 4 June 1994) Belgium 10 - 1 San Marino (Brussels, Belgium; 28 February 2001)
Worst defeat England amateur 11 - 2 Belgium (London, England; 17 April 1909)
World Cup
Appearances	11 (First in 1930)
Best result	Fourth place, 1986
European Championship
Appearances	4 (First in 1972)
Best result	Runners-up, 1980

The Belgium national football team is the national team of Belgium and is controlled by the Belgian Football Association. It had its best World Cup performance in 1986, when they beat Spain to reach the semifinals, losing 2-1 to Argentina.

Belgium has the longest current streak of qualifying for World Cups via the qualifying tournament, with six, tying Italy for the all-time record. Every other nation with an equal or longer string of appearances has had the streak "interrupted" by automatic qualification as the host or the defending champion. (The 2006 tournament will be the first for which the defending champion does not automatically qualify.)

Belgium also did quite well in the European Championships, finishing third in 1972 when they hosted the tournament, and second in 1980.

World Cup record

• 1930 - Round 1
• 1934 - Round 1
• 1938 - Round 1
• 1950 - Withdrew
• 1954 - Round 1
• 1958 to 1966 - Did not qualify
• 1970 - Round 1
• 1974 - Did not qualify
• 1978 - Did not qualify
• 1982 - Round 2
• 1986 - Fourth place
• 1990 - Round 2
• 1994 - Round 2
• 1998 - Round 1
• 2002 - Round 2

European Championship record

• 1960 to 1968 - Did not qualify
• 1972 - Third place
• 1976 - Did not qualify
• 1980 - Runners-up
• 1984 - Round 1
• 1988 to 1996 - Did not qualify
• 2000 - Round 1
• 2004 - Did not qualify

Famous players

• Jan Ceulemans
• Filip de Wilde
• Bart Goor
• Luc Nilis
• Jean-Marie Pfaff
• Michel Preud'homme
• Enzo Scifo
• Franky van der Elst
• Eric van Meir
• Sven Vermant
• Marc Wilmots

External links

• RSSSF archive of results 1904- (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesb/belg-intres.html)
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers (http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/belg-recintlp.html)
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1904- (http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/belg-coach.html)