Belgium at the FIFA World Cup - wikipedia Belgium at the FIFA World Cup Belgium national football team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia Belgium have appeared in the finals tournament of the FIFA World Cup on 13 occasions, the first being at the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 where they finished in 11th place. The inaugural FIFA World Cup final was officiated by Belgian referee John Langenus. Traditionally, Belgium 's greatest rival is the Netherlands. The two countries have met each other twice in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with one win for Belgium ( USA 1994 ) and one tie ( France 1998 ). The team that has played the most against Belgium in the finals is the continuum USSR - Russia : five times, with three victories for Belgium and two for the Soviet Union. Belgium 's best finish in the World Cup is third, at the Russia 2018 tournament. Belgium previously finished fourth in the Mexico 1986 competition. Images of Belgium 's first World Cup match in 1930, against the United States In their golden era, Belgium featured two goalkeepers who were named the best at that position in the World Cup ; Jean - Marie Pfaff ( left ) in 1986 and Michel Preud'homme ( right ) in 1994. Contents 1 FIFA World Cup record 1.1 1930 FIFA World Cup 1.2 1934 FIFA World Cup 1.3 1938 FIFA World Cup 1.4 1954 FIFA World Cup 1.5 1970 FIFA World Cup 1.6 1982 FIFA World Cup 1.7 1986 FIFA World Cup 1.8 1990 FIFA World Cup 1.9 1994 FIFA World Cup 1.10 1998 FIFA World Cup 1.11 2002 FIFA World Cup 1.12 2014 FIFA World Cup 1.13 2018 FIFA World Cup 2 Overview 2.1 Tournaments 2.2 Matches 3 Record players 4 Goalscorers 5 Awards 5.1 Team 5.2 Individual 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 References 8.1 Bibliography 9 External links FIFA World Cup record Belgian 's first five appearances at the FIFA World Cup between 1930 and 1970 were not successful, as they failed to advance beyond the first round. After two scoreless defeats at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, Belgium scored their first two World Cup goals in 1934 against Germany, by virtue of Bernard Voorhoof. However, both in 1934 and 1938 the Red Devils went out with a single loss. In 1954 they held England at a tie ( 4 -- 4 ) and in 1970 they achieved their first World Cup win, against El Salvador ( 3 -- 0 ). Belgium reached six successive World Cups from 1982 through 2002 by playing qualification rounds, a record bettered only by Spain whose 2018 World Cup is their ninth consecutive qualification ( a streak going back to 1986 ). Every other nation with an equal or longer string of appearances has had the streak `` interrupted '' by automatic qualification as the host or the defending champion ( the 2006 tournament was the first for which the defending champion does not automatically qualify ). On top of that, in that era the Belgian team reached the second phase five out of six times. Their fourth place finish in the 1986 was their best placement in their World Cup history, until 2018 when they finished third after beating England ( 2 - 0 ) in Saint Petersburg. 1930 FIFA World Cup Belgium squad -- 1930 FIFA World Cup GK Badjou GK De Bie DF De Deken DF Hoydonckx DF Nouwens MF Braine ( c ) MF Chantraine MF De Clercq MF Hellemans FW Adams FW Delbeke FW Diddens FW Moeschal FW Saeys FW Versyp FW Voorhoof Coach : Goetinck Team Pld GF GA GD Pts United States 0 0 6 0 + 6 Paraguay 0 − 2 Belgium 0 0 0 − 4 0 13 July 1930 15 : 00 UYT ( UTC − 03 : 30 ) United States 3 -- 0 Belgium McGhee 23 ' Florie 45 ' Patenaude 69 ' Report Estadio Parque Central, Montevideo Attendance : 10,000 Referee : José Macías ( Argentina ) 20 July 1930 15 : 00 UYT ( UTC − 03 : 30 ) Paraguay 1 -- 0 Belgium Vargas Peña 40 ' Report Estadio Centenario, Montevideo Attendance : 900 Referee : Ricardo Vallarino ( Uruguay ) 1934 FIFA World Cup The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament. Belgium squad -- 1934 FIFA World Cup GK Badjou GK Vandewyer DF Joacim DF Pappaert DF Smellinckx MF Bourgeois MF Claessens MF Hellemans MF Peeraer MF Putmans MF Simons MF Van Ingelgem MF Welkenhuysen ( c ) FW Brichaut FW Capelle FW Devries FW Grimmonprez FW Heremans FW Lamoot FW Ledent FW Versyp FW Voorhoof Coach : Goetinck 27 May 1934 16 : 30 ( CEST ) * Nazi Germany 5 -- 2 Belgium Kobierski 25 ' Siffling 49 ' Conen 66 ', 70 ', 87 ' Report Voorhoof 29 ', 43 ' Stadio Giovanni Berta, Florence Attendance : ~ 8,000 Referee : Francesco Mattea ( Italy ) 1938 FIFA World Cup Belgium squad -- 1938 FIFA World Cup GK Badjou GK Braet GK Vandewyer DF Gommers DF Paverick DF Petit DF Seys DF Smellinckx MF Dalem MF De Winter MF Henry MF Stijnen ( c ) MF Van Alphen FW Braine FW Buyle FW Capelle FW Ceuleers FW Fievez FW Isemborghs FW Nelis FW Vanden Wouwer FW Voorhoof Coach : Butler 5 June 1938 17 : 00 ( WEST ) France 3 -- 1 Belgium Veinante 1 ' Nicolas 16 ', 69 ' Report Isemborghs 38 ' Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris Attendance : 30,454 Referee : Hans Wüthrich ( Switzerland ) 1954 FIFA World Cup According to journalist Henry Guldemont, some of his Swiss colleagues regarded the 1954 Belgian team as `` favourites for the world title '' after a promising 4 -- 4 opener against England. However, in the second and last group match against Italy, Belgium was defeated 1 -- 4 and was unable to proceed to the finals. Belgium squad -- 1954 FIFA World Cup 1 Gernaey 2 Dries 3 Van Brandt 4 Huysmans 5 Carré 6 Mees 7 Vliers 8 Houf 9 Coppens 10 Anoul 11 Mermans ( c ) 12 Geerts 13 Dirickx 14 Van Kerkhoven 15 H. van den Bosch 16 P. van den Bosch 17 Ausloos 18 Van Der Linden 19 Backaert 20 Maertens 21 Van Steen 22 Van Hoywegen Coach : Livingstone Team Pld GF GA Pts England 0 6 Switzerland 0 Italy 0 5 Belgium 0 5 8 Switzerland finished ahead of Italy by winning a play - off 17 June 1954 18 : 10 ( CET ) England 4 -- 4 ( a.e.t. ) Belgium Broadis 26 ', 63 ' Lofthouse 36 ', 91 ' Report Anoul 5 ', 71 ' Coppens 67 ' Dickinson 94 ' ( o.g. ) St. Jakob Stadium, Basel Attendance : 40,000 Referee : Emil Schmetzer ( West Germany ) 20 June 1954 17 : 00 ( CET ) Italy 4 -- 1 Belgium Pandolfini 41 ' ( pen. ) Galli 48 ' Frignani 58 ' Lorenzi 78 ' Report Anoul 81 ' Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano Attendance : 26,000 Referee : Carl Erich Steiner ( Austria ) 1970 FIFA World Cup Belgium squad -- 1970 FIFA World Cup 1 Piot 2 Heylens 3 Thissen 4 Dewalque 5 Jeck 6 Dockx 7 Semmeling 8 Van Moer 9 Devrindt 10 Van Himst ( c ) 11 Puis 12 Trappeniers 13 Beurlet 14 Martens 15 Vandendaele 16 Polleunis 17 Verheyen 18 Lambert 19 Carteus 20 Peeters 21 Janssens 22 Duquesne Coach : Goethals Pld GF GA GD Pts Soviet Union 0 6 + 5 5 Mexico 0 5 0 + 5 5 Belgium 0 5 − 1 El Salvador 0 0 0 9 − 9 0 3 June 1970 16 : 00 Belgium 3 -- 0 El Salvador Van Moer 12 ', 54 ' Lambert 76 ' ( pen. ) Report Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 92,205 Referee : Andrei Rădulescu ( Romania ) 6 June 1970 16 : 00 Soviet Union 4 -- 1 Belgium Byshovets 14 ', 63 ' Asatiani 57 ' Khmelnytskyi 76 ' Report Lambert 86 ' Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 95,261 Referee : Rudolf Scheurer ( Switzerland ) 11 June 1970 16 : 00 Mexico 1 -- 0 Belgium Peña 14 ' ( pen. ) Report Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 108,192 Referee : Ángel Norberto Coerezza ( Argentina ) 1982 FIFA World Cup In the first game of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, held at Camp Nou, Belgium celebrated one of their most famous victories : a 0 -- 1 win over defending champions Argentina with a goal by Erwin Vandenbergh. After pushing through to the second group stage of that tournament, Belgium was stunned by a Polish hat - trick from Zbigniew Boniek. The decisive match against the Soviet Union ended in a 0 -- 1 loss. Belgium squad -- 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Pfaff 2 Gerets ( c ) 3 L. Millecamps 4 Meeuws 5 Renquin 6 Vercauteren 7 Daerden 8 Van Moer 9 Vandenbergh 10 Coeck 11 Ceulemans 12 Custers 13 Van der Elst 14 Baecke 15 De Schrijver 16 Plessers 17 Verheyen 18 Mommens 19 M. Millecamps 20 Vandersmissen 21 Czerniatynski 22 Munaron Coach : Thys Jos Daerden stepped in because Rene Vandereycken ruled out through injury on the eve of the finals Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Belgium 0 + 2 5 Argentina 0 6 + 4 Hungary 12 6 + 6 El Salvador 0 0 13 − 12 0 13 June 1982 20 : 00 CEST Argentina 0 -- 1 Belgium Report Vandenbergh 62 ' Camp Nou, Barcelona Attendance : 95,500 Referee : Vojtěch Christov ( Czechoslovakia ) 19 June 1982 21 : 00 CEST Belgium 1 -- 0 El Salvador Coeck 19 ' Report Nuevo Estadio, Elche Attendance : 15,000 Referee : Malcolm Moffat ( Northern Ireland ) 22 June 1982 21 : 00 CEST Belgium 1 -- 1 Hungary Czerniatynski 76 ' Report Varga 27 ' Nuevo Estadio, Elche Attendance : 37,000 Referee : Clive White ( England ) Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Poland 0 0 + 3 Soviet Union 0 0 + 1 Belgium 0 0 0 − 4 0 28 June 1982 21 : 00 CEST Poland 3 -- 0 Belgium Boniek 4 ', 26 ', 53 ' Report Camp Nou, Barcelona Attendance : 65,000 Referee : Luis Paulino Siles ( Costa Rica ) 1 July 1982 21 : 00 CEST Belgium 0 -- 1 Soviet Union Report Oganesian 48 ' Camp Nou, Barcelona Attendance : 45,000 Referee : Michel Vautrot ( France ) 1986 FIFA World Cup Four years later they achieved their best World Cup run to that point when they placed fourth at Mexico 1986. Picked up as the best third - placed team, in the knockout phase Belgium surprisingly won against favourites Soviet Union after extra time ( 3 -- 4 ). Different from the previous World Cup, the Red Devils were able to surmount an opponents ' hat - trick ( this time from Igor Belanov ), something that only Brazil and Austria achieved as well in World Cup history ( respectively in 1938 and 1954 ). Belgium also beat Spain on penalties after a 1 -- 1 draw, but they conceded a 2 -- 0 loss against eventual champions Argentina in the semifinal - both goals scored by football icon Diego Maradona. In the third - place match Belgium lost to France ( 4 -- 2 ) after extra time. Captain and midfielder Jan Ceulemans and goalkeeper Jean - Marie Pfaff were the first Belgian players to be selected in the All - Star Team of a World Cup. Enzo Scifo was elected as best young player of the tournament. Belgium squad -- 1986 FIFA World Cup fourth place 1 Pfaff 2 Gerets 3 F. Van der Elst 4 De Wolf 5 Renquin 6 Vercauteren 7 Vandereycken 8 Scifo 9 Vandenbergh 10 Desmet 11 Ceulemans ( c ) 12 Munaron 13 Grün 14 Clijsters 15 L. Van der Elst 16 Claesen 17 Mommens 18 Veyt 19 Broos 20 Bodart 21 Demol 22 Vervoort Coach : Thys Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Mexico 0 + 2 5 Paraguay 0 + 1 Belgium 5 5 0 Iraq 0 0 − 3 0 3 June 1986 ( First Round ) 12 : 00 CST Belgium 1 -- 2 Mexico Vandenbergh 45 ' Report Quirarte 23 ' Sánchez 39 ' Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 110,000 Referee : Carlos Espósito ( Argentina ) 8 June 1986 ( First Round ) 12 : 00 CST Iraq 1 -- 2 Belgium Radhi 59 ' Report Scifo 16 ' Claesen 21 ' ( pen. ) Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca Attendance : 20,000 Referee : Jesús Díaz ( Colombia ) 11 June 1986 ( First Round ) 12 : 00 CST Paraguay 2 -- 2 Belgium Cabañas 50 ', 76 ' Report Vercauteren 30 ' Veyt 59 ' Estadio Nemesio Díez, Toluca Attendance : 16,000 Referee : Bogdan Dotchev ( Bulgaria ) 15 June 1986 ( Second Round ) 16 : 00 CST Soviet Union 3 -- 4 ( a.e.t. ) Belgium Belanov 27 ', 70 ', 111 ' ( pen. ) Report Scifo 56 ' Ceulemans 77 ' Demol 102 ' Claesen 110 ' Estadio Nou Camp, León Attendance : 32,277 Referee : Erik Fredriksson ( Sweden ) 22 June 1986 ( Quarter - Final ) 16 : 00 CST Spain 1 -- 1 ( a.e.t. ) Belgium Señor 85 ' Report Ceulemans 35 ' Penalties Señor Eloy Chendo Butragueño Víctor 4 -- 5 Claesen Scifo Broos Vervoort L. Van Der Elst Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Attendance : 45,000 Referee : Siegfried Kirschen ( East Germany ) 25 June 1986 ( Semi-Final ) 16 : 00 CST Argentina 2 -- 0 Belgium Maradona 51 ', 63 ' Report Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 114,500 Referee : Antonio Márquez Ramírez ( Mexico ) 28 June 1986 ( Third Place Play - Off ) 12 : 00 CST France 4 -- 2 ( a.e.t. ) Belgium Ferreri 27 ' Papin 43 ' Genghini 104 ' Amoros 111 ' ( pen. ) Report Ceulemans 11 ' Claesen 73 ' Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Attendance : 21,000 Referee : George Courtney ( England ) 1990 FIFA World Cup In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Belgium survived the group phase by wins against South Korea and Uruguay ( 2 -- 0 and 3 -- 1 ). In the second round they did well against England, dominating the match by periods and with Enzo Scifo even hitting the woodwork twice. With a persisting 0 -- 0 penalties seemed unavoidable, but eventually they lost in the last minute of extra time after a `` nearly blind '' volley by David Platt. Scifo was elected as second best player of the 1990 World Cup after Lothar Matthäus. Belgium squad -- 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Preud'homme 2 Gerets ( c ) 3 Albert 4 Clijsters 5 Versavel 6 Emmers 7 Demol 8 Van der Elst 9 Degryse 10 Scifo 11 Ceulemans 12 Bodart 13 Grün 14 Claesen 15 De Sart 16 De Wolf 17 Plovie 18 Staelens 19 Van Der Linden 20 De Wilde 21 Wilmots 22 Vervoort Coach : Thys Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Spain 0 5 + 3 5 Belgium 0 6 + 3 Uruguay − 1 South Korea 0 0 6 − 5 0 12 June 1990 17 : 00 Belgium 2 -- 0 South Korea Degryse 53 ' De Wolf 64 ' Report Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona Attendance : 32,790 Referee : Vincent Mauro ( United States ) 17 June 1990 21 : 00 Belgium 3 -- 1 Uruguay Clijsters 16 ' Scifo 22 ' Ceulemans 48 ' Report Bengoechea 74 ' Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona Attendance : 33,759 Referee : Siegfried Kirschen ( East Germany ) 21 June 1990 17 : 00 Belgium 1 -- 2 Spain Vervoort 28 ' Report Míchel 20 ' ( pen. ) Górriz 38 ' Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona Attendance : 35,950 Referee : Juan Carlos Loustau ( Argentina ) 26 June 1990 ( Second Round ) 21 : 00 England 1 -- 0 ( a.e.t. ) Belgium Platt 119 ' Report Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna Attendance : 34,520 Referee : Peter Mikkelsen ( Denmark ) 1994 FIFA World Cup In the 1994 FIFA World Cup two 1 -- 0 wins in round 1 against Morocco and the Netherlands were remarkably not enough to finish second, but Belgium advanced as they were among the best four third - placed teams. In the second round they lost to title defenders Germany ( 3 -- 2 ). During this last game, the Belgians were frustrated that Swiss referee Kurt Röthlisberger had not awarded them a penalty kick when German defender Thomas Helmer brought down their striker Josip Weber in the penalty area with a bump from behind. After the match, Röthlisberger was sent home. Michel Preud'homme was elected as best goalkeeper of the tournament. Belgium squad -- 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Preud'homme 2 Medved 3 Borkelmans 4 Albert 5 Smidts 6 Staelens 7 Van der Elst 8 Nilis 9 Degryse 10 Scifo 11 Czerniatynski 12 De Wilde 13 Grün ( c ) 14 De Wolf 15 Emmers 16 Boffin 17 Weber 18 Wilmots 19 Van Meir 20 Verlinden 21 Van Der Heyden 22 Renier Coach : Van Himst Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Netherlands 0 + 1 6 Advance to knockout stage Saudi Arabia 0 + 1 6 Belgium 0 + 1 6 Morocco 0 0 5 − 3 0 Source : FIFA 19 June 1994 12 : 30 EDT Belgium 1 -- 0 Morocco Degryse 11 ' Report Citrus Bowl, Orlando Attendance : 61,219 Referee : José Torres Cadena ( Colombia ) 25 June 1994 12 : 30 EDT Belgium 1 -- 0 Netherlands Albert 65 ' Report Citrus Bowl, Orlando Attendance : 62,387 Referee : Renato Marsiglia ( Brazil ) 29 June 1994 12 : 30 EDT Belgium 0 -- 1 Saudi Arabia Report Al - Owairan 5 ' RFK Stadium, Washington Attendance : 52,959 Referee : Hellmut Krug ( Germany ) 2 July 1994 ( Second Round ) 12 : 00 Germany 3 -- 2 Belgium Völler 6 ', 40 ' Klinsmann 11 ' Report Grün 8 ' Albert 90 ' Soldier Field, Chicago Attendance : 60,246 Referee : Kurt Röthlisberger ( Switzerland ) 1998 FIFA World Cup In 1998 Belgium was one of only two teams, together with hosts and eventual world champions France not to lose a single game. Three draws in the first round -- against Netherlands, Mexico and South Korea -- proved not enough to reach the knockout stage. In 1998 Enzo Scifo and Franky Van der Elst appeared in their fourth World Cups, setting a Belgian record. Belgium squad -- 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 De Wilde 2 Crasson 3 Staelens 4 Vidović 5 Borkelmans 6 Van der Elst 7 Wilmots 8 Oliveira 9 M. Mpenza 10 Nilis 11 Van Kerckhoven 12 Vande Walle 13 Verlinden 14 Scifo ( c ) 15 Clement 16 De Boeck 17 Verstraeten 18 Verheyen 19 Van Meir 20 E. Mpenza 21 Boffin 22 Deflandre Coach : Leekens Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Netherlands 0 7 + 5 5 Mexico 0 7 5 + 2 5 Belgium 0 0 0 South Korea 0 9 − 7 13 June 1998 ( First Round ) 21 : 00 Netherlands 0 -- 0 Belgium Report Stade de France, Saint - Denis Attendance : 75,000 Referee : Pierluigi Collina ( Italy ) 20 June 1998 ( First Round ) 17 : 30 Belgium 2 -- 2 Mexico Wilmots 43 ', 47 ' Report García Aspe 55 ' ( pen. ) Blanco 62 ' Parc Lescure, Bordeaux Attendance : 31,800 Referee : Hugh Dallas ( Scotland ) 25 June 1998 ( First Round ) 16 : 00 Belgium 1 -- 1 South Korea Nilis 7 ' Report Yoo Sang - Chul 71 ' Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance : 45,500 Referee : Márcio Rezende de Freitas ( Brazil ) 2002 FIFA World Cup With two ties, the 2002 FIFA World Cup did not start well for Belgium, but the team improved during the tournament. Captain Marc Wilmots was notable for scoring in every match of the first round. Belgium won the decisive group match against Russia with 3 -- 2 and in the second round they had to play against eventual champions Brazil. In this 1 / 8th final, referee Peter Prendergast disallowed a headed goal by Wilmots that would have given Belgium a 0 -- 1 lead, after a `` phantom foul '' on Roque Júnior. Eventually Brazil won 2 -- 0, but Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted after this match that Belgium was a tough edge and after the tournament he declared that the match against the Red Devils had been the hardest for Brazil to win. With the World Cup final still to go, the team did win the tournament 's fair - play award. Marc Wilmots equalled the record of Enzo Scifo and Franky Van der Elst by appearing in 4 World Cup squads, although he did not play in his first World Cup in 1990. Wilmots also scored his 5th World Cup goal against Russia, which made him Belgium 's top scorer in World Cup Finals matches until the 2018 world cup when Romelu Lukaku also scored his 5th World Cup goal. Belgium squad -- 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 De Vlieger 2 Deflandre 3 De Boeck 4 Van Meir 5 Van Kerckhoven 6 Simons 7 Wilmots ( c ) 8 Goor 9 Sonck 10 Walem 11 Verheyen 12 Van Der Heyden 13 Vandendriessche 14 Vermant 15 Peeters 16 Van Buyten 17 Englebert 18 Vanderhaeghe 19 Thijs 20 Strupar 21 Boffin 22 Mpenza 23 Herpoel Coach : Waseige Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Japan ( H ) 0 5 + 3 7 Advance to knockout stage Belgium 0 6 5 + 1 5 Russia 0 0 Tunisia 0 5 − 4 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Tie - breaking criteria ( H ) Host. 4 June 2002 18 : 00 Japan 2 -- 2 Belgium Suzuki 59 ' Inamoto 67 ' Report Wilmots 57 ' Van Der Heyden 75 ' Saitama Stadium, Saitama Attendance : 55,256 Referee : William Mattus ( Costa Rica ) 10 June 2002 18 : 00 Tunisia 1 -- 1 Belgium Bouzaiene 17 ' Report Wilmots 13 ' Ōita Big Eye Stadium, Ōita Attendance : 52,000 Referee : Mark Shield ( Australia ) 14 June 2002 15 : 30 Belgium 3 -- 2 Russia Walem 7 ' Sonck 78 ' Wilmots 82 ' Report Beschastnykh 52 ' Sychev 88 ' Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium, Fukuroi, Shizuoka Attendance : 46,640 Referee : Kim Milton Nielsen ( Denmark ) 17 June 2002 ( Second Round ) 20 : 30 Brazil 2 -- 0 Belgium Rivaldo 67 ' Ronaldo 87 ' Report Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe Attendance : 40,440 Referee : Peter Prendergast ( Jamaica ) 2014 FIFA World Cup In 2014, Belgium started as group favourites and beat all group opponents with the smallest margin. Thereafter, they played a round of 16 match against the United States in which American goalkeeper Tim Howard made 15 saves, crowning himself man of the match. The Red Devils needed the extra time to proceed to the next stage ( 2 -- 1 ), where they faced Argentina. In a balanced quarter - final against the Albiceleste, the World Cup ended for Belgium as they failed to equalize after Gonzalo Higuaín 's early goal. Belgium squad -- 2014 FIFA World Cup 1 Courtois 2 Alderweireld 3 Vermaelen 4 Kompany ( c ) 5 Vertonghen 6 Witsel 7 De Bruyne 8 Fellaini 9 Lukaku 10 Hazard 11 Mirallas 12 Mignolet 13 Bossut 14 Mertens 15 Van Buyten 16 Defour 17 Origi 18 Lombaerts 19 Dembélé 20 Januzaj 21 Vanden Borre 22 Chadli 23 Ciman Coach : Wilmots Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium 0 0 + 3 9 Advance to knockout stage Algeria 6 5 + 1 Russia 0 − 1 South Korea 0 6 − 3 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Tie - breaking criteria 17 June 2014 13 : 00 Belgium 2 -- 1 Algeria Fellaini 70 ' Mertens 80 ' Report Feghouli 25 ' ( pen. ) Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte Attendance : 56,800 Referee : Marco Rodríguez ( Mexico ) 22 June 2014 13 : 00 Belgium 1 -- 0 Russia Origi 88 ' Report Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro Attendance : 73,819 Referee : Felix Brych ( Germany ) 26 June 2014 17 : 00 South Korea 0 -- 1 Belgium Report Vertonghen 78 ' Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo Attendance : 61,397 Referee : Benjamin Williams ( Australia ) 1 July 2014 ( Round of 16 ) 17 : 00 Belgium 2 -- 1 ( a.e.t. ) United States De Bruyne 93 ' Lukaku 105 ' Report Green 107 ' Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador Attendance : 51,227 Referee : Djamel Haimoudi ( Algeria ) 5 July 2014 ( Quarter Finals ) 13 : 00 Argentina 1 -- 0 Belgium Higuaín 8 ' Report Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília Attendance : 68,551 Referee : Nicola Rizzoli ( Italy ) 2018 FIFA World Cup Belgium squad -- 2018 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Courtois 2 Alderweireld 3 Vermaelen 4 Kompany 5 Vertonghen 6 Witsel 7 De Bruyne 8 Fellaini 9 Lukaku 10 E. Hazard ( c ) 11 Carrasco 12 Mignolet 13 Casteels 14 Mertens 15 Meunier 16 T. Hazard 17 Tielemans 18 Januzaj 19 Dembélé 20 Boyata 21 Batshuayi 22 Chadli 23 Dendoncker Coach : Martínez Pos Team Pld GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium 0 0 9 + 7 9 Advance to knockout stage England 0 8 + 5 6 Tunisia 0 5 8 − 3 Panama 0 0 11 − 9 0 Source : FIFA Rules for classification : Group stage tiebreakers 18 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 18 ) 18 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Belgium 3 -- 0 Panama Mertens 47 ' Lukaku 69 ', 75 ' Report Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi Attendance : 43,257 Referee : Janny Sikazwe ( Zambia ) 23 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 23 ) 15 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Belgium 5 -- 2 Tunisia E. Hazard 6 ' ( pen. ), 51 ' Lukaku 16 ', 45 + 3 ' Batshuayi 90 ' Report Bronn 18 ' Khazri 90 + 3 ' Spartak Stadium, Moscow Attendance : 44,190 Referee : Jair Marrufo ( United States ) 28 June 2018 ( 2018 - 06 - 28 ) 20 : 00 KALT ( UTC + 2 ) England 0 -- 1 Belgium Report Januzaj 51 ' Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Attendance : 33,973 Referee : Damir Skomina ( Slovenia ) 2 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 02 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Round of 16 Belgium 3 -- 2 Japan Vertonghen 69 ' Fellaini 74 ' Chadli 90 + 4 ' Report Haraguchi 48 ' Inui 52 ' Rostov Arena, Rostov - on - Don Attendance : 41,466 Referee : Malang Diedhiou ( Senegal ) 6 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 06 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Quarter - final Brazil 1 -- 2 Belgium Renato Augusto 76 ' Report Fernandinho 13 ' ( o.g. ) De Bruyne 31 ' Kazan Arena, Kazan Attendance : 42,873 Referee : Milorad Mažić ( Serbia ) 10 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 10 ) 21 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Semi-final France 1 -- 0 Belgium Umtiti 51 ' Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg Attendance : 64,286 Referee : Andrés Cunha ( Uruguay ) 14 July 2018 ( 2018 - 07 - 14 ) 17 : 00 MSK ( UTC + 3 ) Third place play - off Belgium 2 -- 0 England Meunier 4 ' E. Hazard 82 ' Report Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg Attendance : 64,406 Referee : Alireza Faghani ( Iran ) Overview Tournaments Champions Runners - up Third place Fourth place Belgium 's FIFA World Cup record Qualification record Host nation ( s ) and year Round Pos Pld D * GF GA Squad Outcome Pld GF GA 1930 Round 1 11th of 13 0 0 0 Squad Qualified as invitees 1934 15th of 16 0 0 5 Squad 2nd of 4 0 6 8 1938 13th of 15 0 0 Squad 2nd of 4 0 1950 Withdrew Withdrew 1954 Group stage 12th of 16 0 5 8 Squad 1st of 3 0 11 6 1958 Did not qualify 2nd of 3 16 11 1962 3rd of 3 0 0 10 1966 1st of 4, playoff loss 5 0 12 5 1970 Group stage 10th of 16 0 5 Squad 1st of 4 6 14 8 Did not qualify 2nd of 4 6 0 12 0 1978 2nd of 4 6 0 7 6 1982 Group stage 2 10th of 24 5 5 Squad 1st of 5 8 5 12 9 1986 Fourth place 4th of 24 7 2 * 12 15 Squad 2nd of 4, playoff win 8 9 5 1990 Round of 16 11th of 24 0 6 Squad 1st of 5 8 0 15 5 1994 11th of 24 0 Squad 2nd of 6 10 7 16 5 1998 Group stage 19th of 32 0 0 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 23 13 2002 Round of 16 14th of 32 6 7 Squad 2nd of 5, playoff win 10 7 27 6 2006 Did not qualify 4th of 6 10 16 11 4th of 6 10 6 13 20 2014 Quarter - finals 6th of 32 5 0 6 Squad 1st of 6 10 8 0 18 2018 Third place 3rd of 32 7 6 0 16 6 Squad 1st of 6 10 9 0 43 6 2022 To be determined 2026 To be determined Total Best : third place 13 / 21 48 20 9 19 68 72 -- Total 133 77 25 31 277 141 Champions Runners - up Third place Fourth place * Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. Matches show List of FIFA World Cup matches Year Round Opponent Score Result Record 1930 Round 1 United States 0 -- 3 Loss 0 -- 0 -- 1 Round 1 Paraguay 0 -- 1 Loss 0 -- 0 -- 2 1934 Round 1 Germany 2 -- 5 Loss 0 -- 0 -- 3 1938 Round 1 France 1 -- 3 Loss 0 -- 0 -- 4 1954 Group stage England 4 -- 4 ( a.e.t. ) Draw 0 -- 1 -- 4 Group stage Italy 1 -- 4 Loss 0 -- 1 -- 5 1970 Group stage El Salvador 3 -- 0 Win 1 -- 1 -- 5 Group stage Soviet Union 1 -- 4 Loss 1 -- 1 -- 6 Group stage Mexico 0 -- 1 Loss 1 -- 1 -- 7 1982 Group stage 1 Argentina 1 -- 0 Win 2 -- 1 -- 7 Group stage 1 El Salvador 1 -- 0 Win 3 -- 1 -- 7 Group stage 1 Hungary 1 -- 1 Draw 3 -- 2 -- 7 Group stage 2 Poland 0 -- 3 Loss 3 -- 2 -- 8 Group stage 2 Soviet Union 0 -- 1 Loss 3 -- 2 -- 9 1986 Group stage Mexico 1 -- 2 Loss 3 -- 2 -- 10 Group stage Iraq 2 -- 1 Win 4 -- 2 -- 10 Group stage Paraguay 2 -- 2 Draw 4 -- 3 -- 10 Round of 16 Soviet Union 4 -- 3 ( a.e.t. ) Win 5 -- 3 -- 10 Quarter - final Spain 1 -- 1 5 -- 4 ( pen. ) Draw 5 -- 4 -- 10 Semi-final Argentina 0 -- 2 Loss 5 -- 4 -- 11 Third place match France 2 -- 4 Loss 5 -- 4 -- 12 1990 Group stage South Korea 2 -- 0 Win 6 -- 4 -- 12 Group stage Uruguay 3 -- 1 Win 7 -- 4 -- 12 Group stage Spain 1 -- 2 Loss 7 -- 4 -- 13 Round of 16 England 0 -- 1 ( a.e.t. ) Loss 7 -- 4 -- 14 1994 Group stage Morocco 1 -- 0 Win 8 -- 4 -- 14 Group stage Netherlands 1 -- 0 Win 9 -- 4 -- 14 Group stage Saudi Arabia 0 -- 1 Loss 9 -- 4 -- 15 Round of 16 Germany 2 -- 3 Loss 9 -- 4 -- 16 1998 Group stage Netherlands 0 -- 0 Draw 9 -- 5 -- 16 Group stage Mexico 2 -- 2 Draw 9 -- 6 -- 16 Group stage South Korea 1 -- 1 Draw 9 -- 7 -- 16 2002 Group stage Japan 2 -- 2 Draw 9 -- 8 -- 16 Group stage Tunisia 1 -- 1 Draw 9 -- 9 -- 16 Group stage Russia 3 -- 2 Win 10 -- 9 -- 16 Round of 16 Brazil 0 -- 2 Loss 10 -- 9 -- 17 2014 Group stage Algeria 2 -- 1 Win 11 -- 9 -- 17 Group stage Russia 1 -- 0 Win 12 -- 9 -- 17 Group stage South Korea 1 -- 0 Win 13 -- 9 -- 17 Round of 16 United States 2 -- 1 ( a.e.t. ) Win 14 -- 9 -- 17 Quarter - final Argentina 0 -- 1 Loss 14 -- 9 -- 18 2018 Group stage Panama 3 -- 0 Win 15 -- 9 -- 18 Group stage Tunisia 5 -- 2 Win 16 -- 9 -- 18 Group stage England 1 -- 0 Win 17 -- 9 -- 18 Round of 16 Japan 3 -- 2 Win 18 -- 9 -- 18 Quarter - final Brazil 2 -- 1 Win 19 -- 9 -- 18 Semi-final France 0 -- 1 Loss 19 -- 9 -- 19 Third place match England 2 -- 0 Win 20 -- 9 -- 19 Record players No. Name Matches World Cups Enzo Scifo 17 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 Jan Ceulemans 16 1982, 1986 and 1990 Franky van der Elst 14 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 Eric Gerets 12 1982, 1986 and 1990 Thibaut Courtois 12 2014 and 2018 6 Franky Vercauteren 11 1982 and 1986 Stéphane Demol 11 1986 and 1990 Georges Grün 11 1986, 1990 and 1994 Eden Hazard 11 2014 and 2018 Dries Mertens 11 2014 and 2018 Jan Vertonghen 11 2014 and 2018 Goalscorers Marc Wilmots ( as trainer ), Belgium 's joint all - time top scorer at the World Cup Player Goals 1930 1934 1938 1954 1970 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2014 2018 Romelu Lukaku 5 Marc Wilmots 5 Jan Ceulemans Léopold Anoul Nico Claesen Eden Hazard Enzo Scifo Philippe Albert Kevin De Bruyne Marc Degryse Marouane Fellaini Raoul Lambert Dries Mertens Wilfried Van Moer Erwin Vandenbergh Jan Vertonghen Bernard Voorhoof Michy Batshuayi Nacer Chadli Lei Clijsters Ludo Coeck Henri Coppens Alexandre Czerniatynski Michel De Wolf Stéphane Demol Georges Grün Henri Isemborghs Adnan Januzaj Thomas Meunier Luc Nilis Divock Origi Wesley Sonck Peter Van Der Heyden Franky Vercauteren Patrick Vervoort Daniel Veyt Johan Walem Own goals Total 68 0 5 12 6 6 6 16 Awards Team FIFA Fair Play Trophy 2002 Individual Golden Glove 1986 : Jean - Marie Pfaff Golden Glove 1994 : Michel Preud'homme Golden Glove 2018 : Thibaut Courtois Best Young Player Award 1986 : Enzo Scifo See also Belgium national football team records Belgium at the UEFA European Football Championship Footnotes Jump up ^ FIFA 's initial match statistics showed 16 saves, and many news sources continue to use this number. The official FIFA statistics were updated on July 5, 2014 to show 15 saves. References Jump up ^ `` Head - to - Head : Belgium v Russia ''. FIFA.com. ^ Jump up to : This is one of several goals for which the statistical details are disputed. The goalscorers and timings used here are those of FIFA, the official record. Some other sources, such as RSSSF, state a different scorer, timing, or both. See `` World Cup 1930 finals ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation ( RSSSF ). Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2010. Jump up ^ Guldemont 1978, p. ?. Jump up ^ Bilic, Pierre ( 3 Oct 2013 ). `` de Rode Duivels in het collectieve geheugen ''. Sport / Voetbalmagazine. Roeselare : Roularta Media Group NV. Jump up ^ `` Classic football - matches ''. FIFA. 26 Aug 2012. Jump up ^ Edworthy 1997, pp. 138 - 139. Jump up ^ Witzig 2006, p. 167. Jump up ^ `` Scifo : I would n't change a thing ''. FIFA News. 14 Sep 2009. Jump up ^ Lisi 2011, p. 263. Jump up ^ Witzig 2006, p. 289. Jump up ^ `` Scolari praises team effort ''. BBC Sport. 17 Jun 2002. Jump up ^ `` Belgium honoured with the FIFA Fair Play Award ''. FIFA News. 29 Jun 2002. Jump up ^ `` Belgium at the World Cups - Goalscorers at World Cups ''. thefifaworldcups.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Official FIFA statistics, updated July 5, 2014 '' ( PDF ). July 5, 2014. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on July 1, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` World Cup 2014 : Tim Howard makes record number of saves ''. BBC Sport. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014. Jump up ^ Lisi 2007, p. 47. Bibliography Edworthy, Niall ( 1997 ). England : The Official F.A. History. London : Virgin Books. ISBN 1 - 85227 - 699 - 1. Guldemont, Henry ( 1978 ). Toute L'Histoire du Football Belge ( in French ). Brussels : Editions Arts & Voyages. ISBN 2801600121. Lisi, Clemente Angelo ( 2011 ). A History of the World Cup : 1930 -- 2010. Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978 - 08 - 108 - 7753 - 5. Witzig, Richard ( 2006 ). The Global Art of Soccer. Harahan : CusiBoy Publishing. ISBN 0 - 9776688 - 0 - 0. External links Belgium at FIFA World Cup Finals Statistics Countries at the FIFA World Cup Team appearances Teams with no appearances All - time table AFC Australia China Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait North Korea Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates CAF Algeria Angola Cameroon DR Congo Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia CONCACAF Canada Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States CONMEBOL Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay OFC New Zealand UEFA Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark East Germany England France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name ( s ). Have been member of multiple confederations. Team and national federation no longer exist. Belgium national football team History Royal Belgian Football Association Management Venues Home venues King Baudouin Stadium ( 1930 -- ) Records and statistics Team Match results Official Unofficial Statistics By opponent Per manager Achievements Records Individual Caps ( progression ) Goals ( progression ) Hat - tricks Captaincies Awards Disciplinary Other Players Current Notable Captains 21 + caps 5 - 20 caps 1 - 4 caps Born outside Belgium World Finals Summary 1930 1934 1938 1954 1970 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2014 2018 European Finals Summary 1972 1980 1984 2000 2016 Notable matches Évence Coppée Trophy ( 1904 ) UEFA Euro 1980 Final Other tournaments Belgium vs. Netherlands Cups ( 1905 -- 32 ) Summer Olympics ( 1920 -- 28 ) King Hassan II Tournament ( 1998 ) Cyprus Tournament ( 1999 ) Kirin Cup ( 1999, 2009 ) UEFA Nations League ( proposed ) Culture Noted matches Supporters Media coverage Rivalries Nickname, logo and mascot Other RBFA teams Men 's Belgium B ( defunct ) Youth U-21 U-19 U-18 U-17 U-16 U-15 Futsal Beach Women 's Senior Youth U-21 U-19 U-17 U-16 U-15 Beach Category : Belgium national football team Portal : Association football Commons : Belgium national football team Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belgium_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=852673685 '' Categories : Belgium at the FIFA World Cup Countries at the FIFA World Cup Hidden categories : Articles with hCards CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 30 July 2018, at 16 : 09 ( UTC ). 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Question: where did belgium come in the world cup
Answer: third