Group G
BEL

Belgium

Coach: Rudi Garcia
Group rank
1
Points
5
Played
3
Goal diff.
4
Status
Qualified from group
Fixtures
By date
Fixtures / results
Mon, Jun 15
BelgiumvsEgypt
FT 1-1
Group G
Sun, Jun 21
BelgiumvsIran
FT 0-0
Group G
Sat, Jun 27
New ZealandvsBelgium
FT 1-5
Group G
Wed, Jul 1
BelgiumvsSenegal
FT 3-2
Round of 32
Tue, Jul 7
United StatesvsBelgium
FT 1-4
Round of 16
Fri, Jul 10
SpainvsBelgium
FT 2-1
Quarter-final
Countries
Groups overview
Group G
1BELQ
PL 31-2-0GF 6-2GD 4PTS 5
2EGYQ
PL 31-2-0GF 5-3GD 2PTS 5
3IRNOut
PL 30-3-0GF 3-3GD 0PTS 3
4NZLOut
PL 30-1-2GF 4-10GD -6PTS 1
#TeamPLWDL+/-GDPTSStatus
1Belgium31206-245Qualified
2Egypt31205-325Qualified
3Iran30303-303Out
4New Zealand30124-10-61Out
Nation lens
Identity1 / 4
N1 · Identity
balanced · possession-leaning

How they play

Belgium maintains a possession-oriented tactical identity anchored by a balanced approach. With 67% possession and a high reliance on Romelu Lukaku for scoring, they prioritize controlled build-up play. Their disciplined pressing metrics suggest a team capable of dictating tempo against varied opposition.

Playing identity · system ↔ individual × direct ↔ possession
SystemIndividualPossessionDirectSystem-builtpossessionStar-ledpossessionPress-and-transitionStar-ledcounter-attackersBEL

Belgium is plotted from possession share and top-scorer concentration. PPDA and recent form are supporting context when present.

+Recent form8 · 4W 3D 1L
2026-07-10World Cup 2026ABEL 1-2 ESPL
2026-07-07World Cup 2026ABEL 4-1 USAW
2026-07-01World Cup 2026HBEL 3-2 SENW
2026-06-27World Cup 2026ABEL 5-1 NZLW
2026-06-21World Cup 2026HBEL 0-0 IRND
2026-06-15World Cup 2026HBEL 1-1 EGYD
2025-11-18World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAHBEL 7-0 LIExG 3.4-0.0W
2025-11-15World Cup 2026 qualifying · UEFAABEL 1-1 KAZxG 2.1-0.4D
International friendly matches are excluded
N2 · Scoring
open play 85%

How they score

Belgium relies heavily on open play to generate their scoring output. With 85% of their goals originating from open play, the team demonstrates a high level of efficiency in building attacks through sustained possession. This tactical preference is supported by a conversion rate that consistently outperforms the field average.

Goal source · share of play-type-classified goals
84.5%
Open play84.5%Counter1.7%Corner3.4%Free kick10.3%
14% set piececorner + free kick
Effectiveness · conversion by source vs benchmark
Open play20%avg 20%+1 pts
50 goals from 244 shots.
Set piece9.2%avg 4.5%+5 pts
8 goals from 87 shots.
benchmark average higher than field by 3+ pts lower than field by 3+ pts
Goal-source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values; own goals are excluded.
+Top scorers · still a threat?100% intact

100% of listed scorer goals come from players still marked in the squad.

Romelu Lukakuin squad18 · 18%
Kevin De Bruynein squad13 · 13%
Romelu Lukaku Menamain squad8 · 8%
Leandro Trossardin squad6 · 6%
N3 · Conceding
open play 71%

How they concede

Belgium remains most vulnerable to breakdowns in open play. With over 70% of their conceded goals originating from open play, opponents may find success by maintaining high-tempo transitions. While set-piece conversion rates are lower, the team's reliance on structured defensive phases suggests that disorganized defensive moments are their primary point of failure.

Conceded goal source · share of play-type-classified goals
71.4%
Open play71.4%Counter10.7%Corner7.1%Free kick10.7%
18% set piece concededcorner + free kick
Effectiveness · conceded conversion by source vs benchmark
Open play15%avg 20%-4 pts
23 conceded from 151 shots faced.
Set piece12%avg 4.5%+8 pts
5 conceded from 41 shots faced.
benchmark average lower than field by 3+ pts higher than field by 3+ pts
Conceded source shares use non-own-goal rows with source_class values.
N4 · Big moments
beats ranking · +0.65 GD residual

Better than their rating?

Belgium consistently outperforms their Elo-based expectations by a margin of 0.65 goals per match. While their performance profile shows higher volatility than the field median, they demonstrate a clear capacity to exceed baseline projections. This suggests a tactical identity capable of delivering significant results beyond what their current world ranking implies.

Over-performance DNA · beats-its-rating × reliability, the tournament field
Beats rating -><- Falls shortVolatile ^Reliable vHigh-ceilingwildcardVolatileunderachieverReliablyoverdeliversReliablybelow par-1.7-0.90+0.9+1.70.81.41.92.5Beats its Elo rating by (goals/match) ->ESPNORHAICODBEL
BELTournament field · 48solid line = rating-neutral · dashed = field-median reliability100 Elo ~= -0.37 goals
+Biggest over- & under-performances55 matches
Residual = actual goal difference minus what the Elo gap predicted.
vs POL · 2022-06-08GD +5 vs exp +0.40+4.60
vs KAZ · 2025-09-07GD +6 vs exp +1.66+4.34
vs LIE · 2025-11-18GD +7 vs exp +3.57+3.43
vs NED · 2022-06-03GD -3 vs exp -0.19-2.81
vs MAR · 2022-11-27GD -2 vs exp +0.42-2.42
vs UKR · 2025-03-20GD -2 vs exp +0.28-2.28