The Belgium national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Belgium and is controlled by the Belgian Football Association. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years. Their biggest successes were winning the 2007–09 International Challenge Trophy and reaching the European Championship semi-finals in 2007 in the Netherlands. Thanks to the latter achievement, Belgium qualified for the football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Their current home stadium is Den Dreef in Leuven.
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| Nickname(s) | Jonge duivels (Young demons)
Jeunes diables (Little devils) Junge Teufels (Young Devils) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Royal Belgian Football Association | ||
| Head coach | Gill Swerts | ||
| Captain | Aster Vranckx | ||
| Most caps | Jean-François Gillet (36) | ||
| Top scorer | Loïs Openda (13) | ||
| Home stadium | Den Dreef | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 France 1–1 Belgium  (Amiens, France; 3 September 1976) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Belgium 8–0 Luxembourg  (Mechelen, Belgium; 3 June 2007) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Czech Republic 7–0 Belgium (Prague, Czech Republic; 24 April 2001) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2002) | ||
| Best result | Semi-finals (2007) | ||
UEFA U-21 Championship Record
edit| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1978 |
Did not qualify | ||||||
| 1980
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| 1982
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| 1984
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| 1986
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| 1988
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| 1990
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| 1992
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 1994
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 1996
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 1998
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 2000
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 2002 |
Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 2004 |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 2006
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 2007 |
Semi-finals | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
 2009 |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 2011
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 2013
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| 2015
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 2017
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  2019 |
Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
  2021 |
Did not qualify | ||||||
 2023 |
Group stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Results and fixtures
editThis article needs to be updated. (June 2021) |
Belgium are currently competing for qualification to the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The table below shows their current standing in the qualification group.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium
|
10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 5 | +18 | 26 | Final tournament | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Sweden
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 20 | 0–3 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Turkey
|
10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 17 | 1–2 | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–2 | ||
| 4 | Hungary
|
10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 11 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | 4–0 | 2–1 | ||
| 5 | Cyprus
|
10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 23 | −15 | 7 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 6 | Malta
|
10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 24 | −16 | 4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — |
Source: UEFA
Results
edit| 27 March 2017 | Belgium | 2–1 | Malta | Heverlee, Belgium |
| 20:00 CET | R. Mmaee  43'Cools 54' |
Report | 69' Grech |
Stadium: Den Dreef Referee: Rob Harvey (Republic of Ireland) |
| 5 September 2017 | Belgium | 0–0 | Turkey | Heverlee, Belgium |
| 20:00 CET | Report | Stadium: Den Dreef Referee: Fabio Verissimo (Italy) |
| 6 October 2017 | Belgium | 1–1 | Sweden | Heverlee, Belgium |
| 19:00 CET | Vanlerberghe 30' |
Report | 61' Dagerstål |
Stadium: Den Dreef Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro) |
| 10 October 2017 | Cyprus | 0–2 | Belgium | Larnaca, Cyprus |
| 16:00 CET | Report | 51' Lukebakio 90+3' Bastien |
Stadium: AEK Arena - Georgios Karapatakis Referee: Kirill Levnikov (Russia) |
| 9 November 2017 | Belgium | 3–2 | Cyprus | Heverlee, Belgium |
| 19:00 CET | Mbenza 15' Dimata 45+2'Leya Iseka 90+2' |
Report | 49' Papageorgiou 75' Fragkou |
Stadium: Den Dreef Referee: Enea Jorgji (Albania) |
| 14 November 2017 | Turkey | 1–2 | Belgium | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 15:00 CET | Okutan 5' |
Report | Merih Demiral 45+2' (o.g.) Schrijvers 87' |
Stadium: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium Referee: Tomasz Musiał (Poland) |
| 26 March 2018 | Belgium | 3–0 | Hungary | Heverlee, Belgium |
| 19:00 CET | Schrijvers 19' Lukebakio 64'Dimata 72' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: Den Dreef Referee: Erez Papir (Israel) |
| 7 September 2018 | Malta | 0–4 | Belgium | Ta'Qali, Malta |
| 16:00 CET | Report | Dimata 11' Schrijvers 18'Lukebakio 59'Leya Iseka 69' |
Stadium: National Stadium Referee: Roomer Tarajev (Estonia) |
| 11 September 2018 | Hungary | 0–3 | Belgium | Budapest, Hungary |
| 17:00 CET | Report | Dimata 20', 73' (pen.) Schrijvers 86' |
Stadium: Szusza Ferenc Stadion Referee: Tiago Martins (Portugal) |
| 16 October 2018 | Sweden | 0–3 | Belgium | Kalmar, Sweden |
| 17:00 CET | Report | Dimata 29', 40' Lukebakio 65' |
Stadium: Fredriksskans Referee: Frank Schneider (France) |
| 15 November 2018 | Romania | 3–3 | Belgium | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 18:00 CET | Drăguș 45' (pen.) Olaru 90'Ciobanu 90+1' |
Report | Cools 35' Leya 56'Mbenza 58' |
Stadium: Dr. Constantin Rădulescu Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Iulian Călin (Romania) |
| 16 June 2019 | Poland | 3–2 | Belgium | Reggio Emilia, Italy |
| 18:30 | Żurkowski 26' Bielik 52'Szymański 79' |
Report | Leya Iseka 16' Cools 84' |
Stadium: Mapei Stadium–Città del Tricolore Attendance: 2,534 Referee: István Kovács (Romania) |
| 19 June 2019 | Spain | 2–1 | Belgium | Reggio Emilia, Italy |
| 18:30 | Olmo 7' Fornals 89' |
Report | Bornauw 24' |
Stadium: Mapei Stadium–Città del Tricolore Attendance: 2,738 Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia) |
| 22 June 2019 | Belgium | 1–3 | Italy | Reggio Emilia, Italy |
| 21:00 | Verschaeren 79' Mbenza  90+3' |
Report | Barella 44' Cutrone 53'Chiesa 89' |
Stadium: Mapei Stadium–Città del Tricolore Attendance: 20,075 Referee: Srđan Jovanović (Serbia) |
Current squad
edit- Players born in or after 2002 are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The following players were called up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against 
Scotland & Hungary on 11 & 15 October 2024.
Note: Names in italics denote players that have been capped by the senior team.
Caps and goals correct as of 27 October 2024.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Senne Lammens | 7 July 2002 | 7 | 0 | Antwerp
|
| 12 | GK | Tobe Leysen | 9 March 2002 | 1 | 0 | OH Leuven
|
| 2 | DF | Hugo Siquet | 9 July 2002 | 23 | 0 | Cercle Brugge
|
| 3 | DF | Jorne Spileers | 21 January 2005 | 10 | 0 | Club Brugge
|
| 4 | DF | Zeno Van Den Bosch | 6 July 2003 | 4 | 0 | Antwerp
|
| 5 | DF | Killian Sardella | 2 May 2002 | 15 | 2 | Anderlecht
|
| 20 | DF | Joël Schingtienne | 30 December 2002 | 0 | 0 | Venezia
|
| 22 | DF | Fedde Leysen | 9 July 2003 | 2 | 0 | Union SG
|
| 23 | DF | Tuur Rommens | 26 March 2003 | 8 | 0 | Westerlo
|
| 6 | MF | Mandela Keita | 10 May 2002 | 10 | 0 | Parma
|
| 8 | MF | Mario Stroeykens | 29 September 2004 | 10 | 0 | Anderlecht
|
| 10 | MF | Eliot Matazo | 15 February 2002 | 20 | 0 | Antwerp
|
| 13 | MF | Christiaan Ravych | 30 July 2002 | 0 | 0 | Cercle Brugge
|
| 15 | MF | Cisse Sandra | 16 December 2003 | 3 | 0 | Willem II
|
| 16 | MF | Konstantinos Karetsas | 19 November 2007 | 1 | 0 | Genk
|
| 17 | MF | Jarne Steuckers | 4 February 2002 | 5 | 1 | Genk
|
| 18 | MF | Arthur Vermeeren | 7 February 2005 | 3 | 0 | RB Leipzig
|
| 7 | FW | Samuel Mbangula | 16 January 2004 | 6 | 0 | Juventus
|
| 9 | FW | Romeo Vermant | 24 January 2004 | 5 | 1 | Club Brugge
|
| 11 | FW | Kazeem Olaigbe | 2 January 2003 | 11 | 4 | Cercle Brugge
|
| 14 | FW | Lucas Stassin | 29 November 2004 | 7 | 2 | Saint-Étienne
|
| 19 | FW | Youssuf Sylla | 19 December 2002 | 9 | 1 | Charleroi
|
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have been called up and remain eligible.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Matthieu Epolo | 15 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | Standard Liège
|
v. Scotland, 11 October 2024
|
| GK | Matt Lendfers | 10 March 2006 | 1 | 0 | Sint-Truiden
|
v.  Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| GK | Maarten Vandevoordt | 26 February 2002 | 19 | 0 | RB Leipzig
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| GK | Mike Penders | 15 January 2005 | 0 | 0 | Genk
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| DF | Ignace Van Der Brempt | 1 April 2002 | 15 | 1 | Como
|
v. Scotland, 11 October 2024
|
| DF | Antef Tsoungui | 30 December 2002 | 1 | 0 | OH Leuven
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| DF | Jorthy Mokio | 29 February 2008 | 1 | 1 | Ajax
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| DF | Matte Smets | 4 January 2004 | 2 | 1 | Genk
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| DF | Rob Nizet | 14 April 2002 | 1 | 0 | Willem II
|
v.  Morocco, 4 June 2024
|
| DF | Rein Van Helden | 24 July 2002 | 1 | 0 | Sint-Truiden
|
v. Morocco, 4 June 2024
|
| DF | Bram Lagae | 14 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | Kortrijk
|
v. Spain, 26 March 2024
|
| DF | Nathan Ngoy | 10 June 2003 | 0 | 0 | Standard Liège
|
v. Spain, 21 November 2023
|
| DF | Koni De Winter | 12 June 2002 | 18 | 0 | Genoa
|
v. Spain, 21 November 2023
|
| DF | Richie Sagrado | 30 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | Venezia
|
v. Kazakhstan, 11 September 2023
|
| DF | Zeno Debast | 24 October 2003 | 4 | 0 | Sporting CP
|
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship |
| DF | Ameen Al-Dakhil | 1 April 2002 | 4 | 0 | Stuttgart
|
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship |
| DF | Daan Dierckx | 24 February 2003 | 0 | 0 | Standard Liège
|
v. Turkey, 3 September 2021
|
| MF | Mathias Delorge | 31 July 2004 | 3 | 0 | Gent
|
v. Scotland, 11 October 2024
|
| MF | Chris Lokesa | 7 November 2004 | 1 | 0 | RKC Waalwijk
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| MF | Stanis Idumbo Muzambo | 29 June 2005 | 1 | 0 | Sevilla
|
v. Morocco, 4 June 2024
|
| MF | Pierre Dwomoh | 21 June 2004 | 1 | 1 |  Watford
|
v. Morocco, 4 June 2024
|
| MF | Noah Mbamba | 5 January 2005 | 1 | 0 | Bayer Leverkusen
|
v. Spain, 26 March 2024
|
| MF | Arne Engels | 8 September 2003 | 10 | 2 | Celtic
|
v. Spain, 26 March 2024
|
| MF | Marco Kana | 8 August 2002 | 12 | 0 | Kortrijk
|
v. Spain, 21 November 2023
|
| MF | Luca Oyen | 14 March 2003 | 4 | 0 | Genk
|
v. Spain, 21 November 2023
|
| MF | Aster Vranckx (captain) | 4 October 2002 | 12 | 0 | VfL Wolfsburg
|
v. Hungary, 17 October 2023
|
| MF | Roméo Lavia | 6 January 2004 | 1 | 0 | Chelsea
|
v. Czech Republic, 23 March 2023
|
| MF | Anouar Ait El Hadj | 20 April 2002 | 4 | 0 | Genk
|
v. Denmark, 29 March 2022
|
| MF | Tibo Persyn | 13 March 2002 | 0 | 0 | FC Eindhoven
|
v. Turkey, 3 September 2021
|
| FW | Mika Godts | 7 June 2005 | 0 | 0 | Ajax
|
v. Scotland, 11 October 2024
|
| FW | Thibo Baeten | 4 June 2002 | 1 | 0 | Roda JC
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| FW | Malick Fofana | 31 March 2005 | 9 | 0 | Lyon
|
v. Kazakhstan, 10 September 2024
|
| FW | Julien Duranville | 5 May 2006 | 1 | 0 | Borussia Dortmund
|
v. Spain, 26 March 2024
|
| FW | Anthony Descotte | 3 August 2003 | 4 | 0 | Utrecht
|
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship |
| FW | Ken Nkuba | 21 February 2002 | 4 | 0 | Genk
|
v. Czech Republic, 23 March 2023
|
| FW | Johan Bakayoko | 20 April 2003 | 3 | 0 | PSV Eindhoven
|
v. Czech Republic, 23 March 2023
|
| FW | Jérémy Doku | 27 May 2002 | 6 | 1 | Manchester City
|
v. France, 26 September 2022
|
Statistics
editMost capped players
edit Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.
| # | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-François Gillet | 1996–2002 | 36 | 0 |
| 2 | Thomas Chatelle | 1999–2003 | 28 | 4 |
| Maarten Martens | 2003–2007 | 28 | 7 | |
| 4 | Faris Haroun | 2004–2008 | 24 | 4 |
| 5 | Siebe Schrijvers | 2016–2019 | 23 | 4 |
| Hugo Siquet | 2021–2024 | 23 | 0 | |
| 7 | Tom De Mul | 2004–2008 | 21 | 4 |
| Wout Faes | 2017–2020 | 21 | 0 | |
| Gunter Van Handenhoven | 1997–1999 | 21 | 1 | |
| 10 | Jonathan Blondel | 2002–2007 | 20 | 4 |
| Éric Deflandre | 1992–1995 | 20 | 1 |
Last updated: 22 June 2019
Source: Belgian Football Federation
Top goalscorers
edit Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.
| # | Player | Career | Goals | Caps | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loïs Openda | 2019–2023 | 13 | 18 | 0.72 |
| 2 | Kevin Vandenbergh | 2003–2005 | 12 | 14 | 0.86 |
| 3 | Cédric Roussel | 1997–1999 | 10 | 12 | 0.83 |
| 4 | Wesley Sonck | 1997–1999 | 8 | 11 | 0.73 |
| 5 | Michy Batshuayi | 2012–2014 | 7 | 13 | 0.54 |
| Landry Dimata | 2016–2018 | 7 | 12 | 0.58 | |
| Maarten Martens | 2003–2007 | 7 | 28 | 0.25 | |
| Ronny Martens | 1978–1984 | 7 | 14 | 0.5 | |
| Sven Vermant | 1993–1995 | 7 | 8 | 0.88 | |
| Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo | 2005–2008 | 7 | 17 | 0.41 |
Last updated: 20 March 2019
Source: Belgian Football Federation
Honours
editSee also
edit
References
editReferences and external links
edit- UEFA Under-21 website, complete results archive
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, full record of U-21 and U-23 Championships