Belgium at the UEFA European Championship

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The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations). Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate. Prior to entering the tournament, all teams other than the host nations (which qualify automatically) compete in a qualifying process.

Contents

Belgium have participated in six UEFA European Championships finals, those held in 1972, 1980, 1984, 2000, 2016, and 2020, which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2 July 2021, they have played 22 matches: eleven wins, two draws and nine losses.

Overview

Overall record

 Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth Place

Line-ups for the UEFA Euro 1980 Final in which Belgium (red) faced the 1976 Runners-Up West Germany (white). The respective coaches were Guy Thys and Jupp Derwall. BEL-FRG 1980-06-22.svg
Line-ups for the UEFA Euro 1980 Final in which Belgium (red) faced the 1976 Runners-Up West Germany (white). The respective coaches were Guy Thys and Jupp Derwall.
UEFA European ChampionshipsQualification
YearHost(s)RoundPldWDLGFGASquadPos.PldWDLGFGA
1960 Flag of France.svg  France Did not enterDid not enter
1964 Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg  Spain Did not qualify Preliminary round 200224
1968 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2nd 6312149
1972 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Third place210133 Squad Quarter-finals 8521134
1976 Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia Did not qualify Quarter-finals 8323710
1980 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Runners-up412144 Squad 1st 8440125
1984 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France Group stage310248 Squad 1st 6411128
1988 Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany Did not qualify 3rd 8332168
1992 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 3rd 621376
1996 Flag of England.svg  England 3rd 104331713
2000 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 		Group stage310225 Squad Qualified as hosts
2004 Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal Did not qualify 3rd 8512119
2008 Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 		5th 145361416
2012 Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 		3rd 104332115
2016 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France Quarter-finals530295 Squad 1st 10721245
2020 Pan-European540193 Squad 1st 101000403
2024 Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Qualified 1st 8620224
2028 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 		To be determinedTo be determined
2032 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
TotalRunners-up2211293128—7/17122652829232119
 Champions    Runners-up    Third place/Semi-finalists

List of matches

Euro 1972

Belgium hosted the European Championship twice, as they were chosen amongst the four semi-finalists to host the event, and ended third by beating Hungary.

Final tournament

Semi-finals
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1–2 Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
  • Polleunis Soccerball shade.svg83'
 Report
Bosuilstadion, Antwerp
Attendance: 55,669
Referee: William Mullan (Scotland)
Third place play-off
Hungary  Flag of Hungary.svg 1–2 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège
Attendance: 6,184
Referee: Johan Einar Boström (Sweden)

Euro 1980

Under the guidance of manager Guy Thys, Belgium achieved their best European result at the 1980 edition in Italy. After finishing first in the group phase, before football nations Italy, England and Spain, Belgium stood in the final against West Germany. After the German opener from Horst Hrubesch and the penalty equalizer from René Vandereycken, the match seemed to go in extra time. Two minutes before the end of the regular playing time, Hrubesch's second goal ended the Belgian dream of winning a first major (non-Olympic) tournament.

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 312032+14Advance to final
2Flag of Italy.svg  Italy (H)312010+14Advance to third place play-off
3Flag of England.svg  England 31113303
4Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg  Spain 301224−21
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1–1 Flag of England.svg  England
Report
Stadio Comunale, Turin
Attendance: 15,186
Referee: Heinz Aldinger (West Germany)
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 2–1 Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg  Spain
Report
San Siro, Milan
Attendance: 11,430
Referee: Charles Corver (Netherlands)
Italy  Flag of Italy.svg 0–0 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 42,318
Referee: António Garrido (Portugal)

Knockout stage

Final

Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1–2 Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
Report
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 47,860 [1]
Referee: Nicolae Rainea (Romania)

Euro 1984

At UEFA Euro 1984 [2] the road to the knockout stage seemed open after taking a 2–0 lead in their last group match against Denmark, but the Red Devils could not prevent Danish Dynamite to turn the tide in their favour.

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France (H)330092+76Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 320183+54
3Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 310248−42
4Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia 3003210−80
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 2–0 Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia
Report
Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens
Attendance: 41,525
Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg 5–0 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Attendance: 51,359
Referee: Bob Valentine (Scotland)
Denmark  Flag of Denmark.svg 3–2 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg
Attendance: 36,911
Referee: Adolf Prokop (East Germany)

Euro 2000

The Belgian team was one of the major disappointments of the 2000 edition with a first-round exit. This early exit was fairly unexpected since during the eight preparational friendlies for Euro 2000 under Robert Waseige Belgium played well, [3] winning three times convincingly and losing only once (2–1 against England). At Euro 2000, Belgium first won against Sweden 2–1 via goals from Bart Goor in the 43rd minute and Émile Mpenza in the 46th minute against Sweden's one by Johan Mjallby in the 53rd minute after a terrible error of goalkeeper Filip De Wilde. In the second match, Belgium lost 2–0 against the eventual tournament runners-up Italy by a header from Francesco Totti in the fifth minute and Stefano Fiore's goal of the tournament (according to the United Kingdom's Match of the Day television programme) in the 66th minute. [4] In the crucial match where Belgium needed one more point to move ahead to the quarter-finals, they lost 2–0 against Turkey (two goals from Hakan Şükür in the 45th after another error of goalkeeper Filip De Wilde, and 70th minute). In the 83rd minute of that last group match, De Wilde even ended his tournament, being sent off for attacking Arif Erdem outside the penalty area. [5]

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 330062+49Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 311132+14
3Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium (H)310225−33
4Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 301224−21
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 2–1 Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 46,700
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)
Italy  Flag of Italy.svg 2–0 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 44,500
Referee: José María García-Aranda (Spain)
Turkey  Flag of Turkey.svg 2–0 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
Attendance: 48,000
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark) [note 1]

Euro 2016

Just like in Belgium's previous Euro tournament in 2000, they lost 2–0 to Italy in the group phase. [6] In spite of winning with broad margins against the Republic of Ireland (3–0) [7] and Hungary (4–0) at UEFA Euro 2016, [8] [9] Belgium's second very talented generation disappointed with a quarter-final exit. As during the tournament's qualifiers, Wales got the better of Belgium, with a 3–1 win. [10]

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 320131+26 [lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout phase
2Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 320142+26 [lower-alpha 1]
3Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland 311124−24
4Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 301213−21
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head result: Belgium 0–2 Italy.
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 0–2 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Report
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu
Attendance: 55,408 [11]
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England)
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 3–0 Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
Report
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Attendance: 39,493 [12]
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg 0–1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stade de Nice, Nice
Attendance: 34,011 [13]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Knockout phase

Round of 16

Hungary  Flag of Hungary.svg 0–4 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
Attendance: 28,921 [14]
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)

Quarter-finals

Wales  Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg 3–1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq
Attendance: 45,936 [15]
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

Euro 2020

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 330071+69Advance to knockout phase
2Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark (H)310254+13 [lower-alpha 1]
3Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 310213−23 [lower-alpha 1]
4Flag of Russia.svg  Russia (H)310227−53 [lower-alpha 1]
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. 1 2 3 Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: Denmark +2, Finland 0, Russia −2.
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 3–0 Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 26,264 [16]
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Denmark  Flag of Denmark.svg 1–2 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
Attendance: 23,395 [17]
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Finland  Flag of Finland.svg 0–2 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Attendance: 18,545 [18]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Knockout phase

Round of 16

Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1–0 Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Report
La Cartuja, Seville
Attendance: 11,504 [19]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Quarter-finals

Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg 1–2 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Report
Allianz Arena, Munich
Attendance: 12,984 [20]
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

Euro 2024

Group stage

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 00000000Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 00000000
3Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 00000000Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4Flag of None.svg Play-off winner B 00000000
First match(es) will be played: 17 June 2024. Source: UEFA
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Match 9 Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia
Report
Waldstadion, Frankfurt
Belgium  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Match 22 Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Report
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
Play-off winner B Flag of None.svg Match 34 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Report
MHPArena, Stuttgart

Goalscorers

PlayerGoals 1972 1980 1984 2000 2016 2020 2024
Romelu Lukaku 624
Jan Ceulemans 211
Thorgan Hazard 22
Radja Nainggolan 22
Toby Alderweireld 11
Michy Batshuayi 11
Yannick Carrasco 11
Julien Cools 11
Kevin De Bruyne 11
Eric Gerets 11
Bart Goor 11
Georges Grün 11
Eden Hazard 11
Raoul Lambert 11
Thomas Meunier 11
Émile Mpenza 11
Odilon Polleunis 11
Paul Van Himst 11
Erwin Vandenbergh 11
René Vandereycken 11
Frank Vercauteren 11
Axel Witsel 11
Own goals 11
Total313442990

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Nielsen suffered an injury in the 39th minute and was replaced by fourth official Günter Benkö (Austria).

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    References

    1. ↑ "European Football Championship 1980 FINAL". euro2000.org. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
    2. ↑ Brera, Gianni (17 June 1984). "Festival di Platini sul tetto d' Europa". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 26.
    3. ↑ "Experimental Italy sinks Belgium clearly wins: 3–1". repubblica.it (in Italian). 13 November 1999.
    4. ↑ "Fiore strike scoops top spot". BBC Sport. 1 July 2000. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
    5. ↑ Piva, Gianni (20 June 2000). "Hakan Sukur, 2 gol la Turchia in delirio". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 58.
    6. ↑ Cantalupi, Stefano (13 June 2016). "Euro 2016, Belgium-Italy 0-2: goals from Giaccherini and Pellé, Conte at top of his group". gazzetta.it (in Italian).
    7. ↑ Carotenuto, Angelo (19 June 2016). "Nel segno di Lukaku il Belgio ritrova il suo passo da grande". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 60.
    8. ↑ "Belgium ease to 3–0 victory vs. Rep. Ireland". ESPN FC. 18 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
    9. ↑ "Hazard shines as Belgium thrash Hungary". ESPN FC. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
    10. ↑ "Wales stun Belgium to reach Euro semifinal". ESPN FC. 1 July 2016. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
    11. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Belgium v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
    12. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Belgium v Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
    13. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Sweden v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
    14. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Hungary v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
    15. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Wales v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
    16. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Belgium v Russia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
    17. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Denmark v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
    18. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Finland v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
    19. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Belgium v Portugal" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
    20. ↑ "Full Time Summary – Belgium v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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