Belgium strives to make a mark in the Euro 2024 with a combination of experience and upcoming talent in their squad. Despite their rise in international football with the golden generation, the team still needed to get their hands on any trophy during that period. Their group-stage exit from the Qatar World Cup became the straw that broke the camel’s back for Roberto Martinez. The manager brought the side to prominence but it is now down to the current boss Domenico Tedesco to inspire them again. Belgium will face Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine in Group E of the tournament.
History
This will be the seventh participation of Belgium in the Euro Championship after making their debut in 1972 courtesy of hosting it. The Red Devils finished third in their first appearance, a four-nation tournament back then. In 1980, they took a step further by finishing as runners-up while topping the group containing hosts Italy, England and Spain but losing to West Germany again. The team failed to reach those highs and were not regulars on the Euros stage. After a group stage exit in 1984, Belgium returned to the tournament only after co-hosting with the Netherlands in 2000 and then again failed to qualify for three straight finals. It was only through the emergence of the golden generation or the established stars of the current crop that the nation made consecutive appearances since 2016. The last two finals ended in the last-eight.
Belgium squad for Euro 2024
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town)
Defenders: Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Jérémy Doku (Manchester City), Loïs Openda (Leipzig), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta, on loan from AC Milan), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Johan Bakayoko (PSV)
Manager: Domenico Tedesco
The main story surrounding the Belgium squad will be their number one over the years, Thibaut Courtois missing the Euros after tearing his cruciate ligament which kept him out of the club season. However, he made his only appearance in the Champions League final. The Real Madrid keeper has been capped over 100 times for his nation but had a fallout with manager Domenico Tedesco over the captaincy decision before his injury. Koen Casteels, Matz Sels and Thomas Kaminski are the goalkeepers Tedesco is taking for the tournament although the former suffered injury problems in the season. Axel Witsel has also earned a surprise call-up after announcing his retirement from international football. Belgium can add one more player before Uefa's 7 June deadline.
Formation: How will Belgium Lineup at Euro 2024?
Belgium Fixtures for Euro 2024
Monday, 17 June 2024
Belgium vs Slovakia - Waldstadion, Frankfurt (21:30)
Sunday, 23 June 2024
Belgium vs Romania - RheinEnergieStadion, Koln (00:30)
Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Ukraine vs Belgium - MHPArena, Stuttgart (21:30)
