Belgium’s “golden generation” get their last chance to perform at a World Cup show when Roberto Martinez leads the Red Devils into the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Kevin De Bruyne and his international cohorts had high expectations as young stars, leading Belgium into a new era of international play. They achieved a quarter-final result at the 2014 World Cup, beating Argentina 1–0, and finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the nation’s best ever World Cup finish.
Currently ranked second in the world, Belgium are still vastly undervalued among other established World Cup powers such as Brazil, France, Spain and Germany.
This team is deep and dangerous in attack, but they have many weaknesses that teams can exploit. Still, Martinez is a top coach who knows how to squeeze his players by putting them in the best position to succeed.
Belgium World Cup Squad 2022
Most of the players who will be playing for Belgium at the World Cup had already secured their place in the squad, barring injuries, just before the start of the tournament.
Roberto Martinez had a few options to make among the young up-and-coming players, but for the most part, his squad is set with top talent from the Big 5 European leagues.
There were some injuries to track down. Most notably, star striker Romelu Lukaku, who has returned to full fitness with Inter Milan, has recently suffered another muscle injury but has made the cut.
In addition, wing-back Thomas Meunier suffered a broken cheekbone on club duty on October 16 but is also heading to Qatar.
The most notable absentees from the final squad were players such as Divock Origi, Jason Denayer, and Dedryck Boyata.
Here are the final 26 Martinez picks.
| Position | No.1 | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | 1 | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 97 |
| GK | 12 | Simon Mignolet | Club Brugge (BEL) | 34 | 35 |
| GK | 13 | Koen Casteels | Wolfsburg (GER) | 30 | 4 |
| DEF | 2 | Toby Alderweireld | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 33 | 124 |
| DEF | 3 | Arthur Theate | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 22 | 4 |
| DEF | 4 | Wout Faes | Leicester City (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| DEF | 5 | Jan Vertonghen | Anderlecht (BEL) | 35 | 142 |
| DEF | 26 | Zeno Debast | Anderlecht (BEL) | 18 | 3 |
| DEF | 19 | Leander Dendoncker | Aston Villa (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | 21 | Timothy Castagne | Leicester City (ENG) | 26 | 26 |
| MID | 15 | Thomas Meunier | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 31 | 59 |
| MID | 7 | Kevin De Bruyne | Man City (ENG) | 31 | 94 |
| MID | 20 | Hans Vanaken | Club Brugge (BEL) | 30 | 23 |
| MID | 8 | Youri Tielemans | Leicester City (ENG) | 25 | 55 |
| MID | 18 | Amadou Onana | Everton (ENG) | 21 | 2 |
| MID | 6 | Axel Witsel | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 33 | 127 |
| MID | 16 | Thorgan Hazard | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 | 45 |
| FWD | 9 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 102 |
| FWD | 23 | Michy Batshuayi | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 29 | 48 |
| FWD | 14 | Dries Mertens | Galatasaray (TUR) | 35 | 107 |
| FWD | 22 | Charles de Ketelaere | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 10 |
| FWD | 11 | Yannick Carrasco | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 60 |
| FWD | 10 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 123 |
| FWD | 17 | Leandro Trossard | Brighton (ENG) | 27 | 21 |
| FWD | 24 | Lois Openda | Lens (FRA) | 22 | 5 |
| FWD | 25 | Jeremy Doku | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 20 | 11 |
The Stars, Strengths and Weaknesses of the Belgian National Team
Looking to improve on their third-place finish four years ago and defend their No. 2 FIFA world ranking, Belgium has plenty of star players and attacking talent.
Still, there are a lot of holes in this player pool, and Martinez will have to work hard to find the right mix, especially at the back.
STARS
The undisputed superstar of the Belgian national team is Kevin De Bruyne, considered one of the best players in the world. His creativity is world class, every pass imaginable at his disposal. He can also score goals, and will look to lead a powerful strike force.
Alongside De Bruyne is Romelu Lukaku, who enjoyed a return to form at Inter before injury halted his club’s start to the season. Still, Martinez knows how to make the best of a dangerous forward who has been streaky throughout his career.
Other star names in the Belgian squad include Eden Hazard, who fell into obscurity at Real Madrid, and Thibaut Courtois, who was the star of last season’s Champions League final and has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Charles de Ketelaere is another name to watch, starring in his first season at AC Milan.
Many teams don’t have star names on their coaching staff, but Belgium boasts former France and Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, as assistant manager on the staff behind Martinez.
POWERS
This team has an outrageous amount of creative talent. De Bruyne’s presence alone is a nightmare for teams, but throw in Hazard, Lukaku, and De Keteler and Youri Tielemans, and this team will produce goals.
Also, goalkeeping is a strong position for the Belgian. Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment, while back-up Simon Mignolet has also been in good form against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
WEAKNESS
Age at the back is a big problem for this Belgian team. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are as experienced and solid as they come, but they are 33 and 35 years old respectively, and both have returned to Belgium to finish their club careers.
There is very little young talent coming in to replace them, meaning the two veterans will start at the back for Belgium when healthy.