About Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ and its exit from 2026 WC

It’s true, the 2018/2022 generation is over. Did they squander it? Arguable in the sense that, yes, they didn’t bring any trophies. But if we look beyond that we see a generation had consistently delivered impressive results bringing a small, 11 million people country, to the final stages of the World Cup. Moreover, it inspired a whole country, united it, and I think, gave the right motivation to invest more in its youth, inspiring young Belgian kids to join the sport and perform at high level. This year the Belgian U17 team delivered its best result \*ever\* at the European championship, coming second after drawing 1-1 with Italy and losing 4-3 at the penalties. Last year they lost at the semifinals. But also in the current teams there are stars - look at Doku, look at Lammens (who yes messed up in the match, but let’s not forget, he was voted best transfer in the premier league last season) look at Ngoy, look at De Cuyper, look at Seys who played a fantastic match against Yamal yesterday, Raskin too played extremely well in this World Cup. De ketelare improved its performance and grew consistently this World Cup, after playing a very good season at Atalanta where he didn’t score many goals but built a lot for his teammates.

Overall, I think the label of ‘golden generation’ was more a weight than a compliment, and might have impacted the players more than motivating them. As a Belgian, I feel proud of my national team, who despite everything, they delivered something more than a trophy.