With the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicking off in 12 days, it’s time to explore one of the favorite teams in Group F – Kevin de Bruyne’s Belgium.
Every day until November 20th, we’ll explore a different team represented in this year’s tournament, from Group A to Group H, including predictions about where they’ll end up.
Yesterday, we looked at Japan, a team capable of shocking the world. We’ll now look at one of the favorite squads to win the whole tournament – The Red Devils of Belgium.
Belgium
Group F
Nickname: The Red Devils
Colors: Black, yellow, red
Location:
Coach: Roberto Martínez (Spain)
Top Players:
One look at Belgium’s roster and it’s clear why they are a favorite. Their net is defended by Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and the midfield is led by Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne, who certainly wishes Erling Haaland was Belgian. KDB is supported by Yannick Carrasco and Axel Witsel of Atleti, as well as Charles De Ketelaere of AC Milan. Up top, you’ve got experienced stars Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Divock Origi, and Dries Mertens. Belgium’s biggest weakness is defense, but they might be able to outscore any opponent.
Team History:
Qatar will mark the 14th World Cup appearance for Belgium, who finished in third place in 2018 behind France and Croatia. In 2022, Belgium is 4-2-2 with victories over Poland and Wales but two losses to the Netherlands.
Tournament Prediction: Quarterfinals loss to Uruguay.
Belgium should finish on top of a competitive Group F featuring Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. Canada is on the up recently, but we think Belgium takes the opening group match against the Canucks. The Red Devils should follow that up with a win over Morrocco and a win or tie with Croatia, putting everyone’s favorite waffles at the top of Group E. Belgium will meet and defeat Group E runner-up Spain in the quarterfinals before being undone by Uruguay, 2022’s dark horse Cinderella, in the quarterfinals.
Featured Image: Generated Image: DALL-E 2/RoyalBelgianFootballAssociation/DM