Belgium

The Red Devils rode a golden generation — Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Courtois — to the summit of the FIFA world rankings, punching above the country's small population with a squad of Premier League and elite European stars. Known for pace, creativity, and defensive steel, Belgium became one of the most feared teams of the 2010s. The program is now navigating the transition to its next generation.

The Royal Belgian Football Association was founded in 1895, and the national team played its first international in 1904. Belgium's modern golden generation delivered the program's best-ever World Cup result, a third-place finish in 2018 in Russia, and briefly held the No. 1 spot in the FIFA World Rankings. The team has yet to add a major trophy to match that talent, but remains a consistent quarterfinal-or-better threat.