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Belgium men's national field hockey team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Belgium
Belgium
Nickname(s)Red Lions
AssociationRoyal Belgian Hockey Association
ConfederationEHF (Europe)
Head CoachShane McLeod
Assistant coach(es)Xavier Reckinger
ManagerEric Pirenne
CaptainFélix Denayer
Home
Away
FIH ranking
Current 3 Increase 1 (19 December 2024)[1]
Highest1 (December 2018 – June 2019, January 2020 – June 2021)
Lowest14 (2003–04)
Olympic Games
Appearances16 (first in 1920)
Best resultGold 1st
(2020)
World Cup
Appearances7 (first in 1973)
Best resultGold 1st
(2018)
European Championship
Appearances18 (first in 1970)
Best resultGold 1st
(2019)

The Belgian national men's field hockey team represents Belgium in international men's field hockey and is controlled by the Royal Belgian Hockey Association, the governing body for field hockey in Belgium.[2][3][4]

Belgium won the Men's Hockey World Cup in 2018, the European Championship in 2019, the 2020-21 FIH Pro League and the gold medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They also won a silver medal at the 2023 Bhubaneswar & Rourkela and 2016 Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medal at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Olympics. They reached eight semi-finals at the European Championship since 1995, including a third place in 2007 and runners-up in 2013 and 2017.

History

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Hockey was introduced in Belgium in 1902. The country's first club was founded in 1904. In 1907, several clubs established the Belgian Hockey Association. Belgium played its first international match against Germany, and was one of the founding members of the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

Between 1920 and 1978, Belgium appeared in two of the first three World Cups and in eleven out of thirteen Summer Olympics. After the successful early years (before the 1950s) with three times being among the best five at the Summer Olympics, it would last six decades before Belgium reached the international field hockey top again from the 1990s on.

By the early 2000s, the Royal Belgian Hockey Association started to invest heavily in the youth and modernized its structures. In 2007, Belgium won the bronze medal at the European Championship, a first in the country's history. Belgium also qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics, for the first time in 32 years.

Belgium won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, a second medal after Belgium ended third at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. Two years later Belgium won the 2018 Hockey World Cup. It was the first major international title in the country's history. A year later Belgium won the gold medal at the European Championship which was held in Antwerp. They secured their second consecutive olympic medal through reaching the gold medal match at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Honours

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Summer Olympics
1st place, gold medalist(s) First place: 2020
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2016
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place: 1920
World Cup
1st place, gold medalist(s) First place: 2018
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2023
European Championship
1st place, gold medalist(s) First place: 2019
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2013, 2017
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place: 2007, 2021, 2023
FIH Pro League
1st place, gold medalist(s) First place: 2020–21
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2019, 2021–22
Hockey World League
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Second place: 2014-15
Champions Challenge
1st place, gold medalist(s) First place: 2011
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place: 2005
Belgian National Sports Merit Award
Winners: 1959, 2019
Belgian Sportsteam of the Year
Winners: 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019

Tournament history

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A red box around the year indicates a tournament played within Belgium.

Summer Olympics

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  Gold    Silver    Bronze    Fourth place

In 1920, Belgium's field hockey team won the bronze medal at home, at the Olympic Stadium in Antwerp.
Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
United Kingdom 1908 did not participate
Sweden 1912 Not held
Belgium 1920 Bronze medal 3rd 3 1 0 2 6 19
France 1924 Not held
Netherlands 1928 Fourth place 4th 5 3 0 2 8 12
United States 1932 did not participate
Nazi Germany 1936 Group phase 9th 3 0 2 1 5 8
United Kingdom 1948 Group phase 5th 4 2 0 2 6 8
Finland 1952 Second round 9th 2 1 0 1 6 1
Australia 1956 Group phase 7th 3 0 1 2 0 5
Italy 1960 Group phase 11th 5 1 1 3 7 9
Japan 1964 Group phase 11th 7 2 2 3 10 13
Mexico 1968 Group phase 9th 8 4 1 3 17 9
West Germany 1972 Group phase 10th 8 2 1 5 9 16
Canada 1976 Group phase 9th 6 3 0 3 11 19
Soviet Union 1980 did not qualify
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992
United States 1996
Australia 2000
Greece 2004
China 2008 Group phase 9th 6 2 1 3 12 13
United Kingdom 2012 Group phase 5th 6 3 1 2 13 9
Brazil 2016 Runners-up 2nd 8 6 0 2 29 11
Japan 2020 Champion 1st 8 6 2 0 35 13
France 2024 Quarterfinals 5th 6 4 1 1 17 10
Total Best: Champion 16/26 88 40 13 35 291 173

World Cup

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Belgium captain Thomas Briels lifting the 2018 World Cup trophy

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

FIH World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Spain 1971 did not participate
Netherlands 1973 Group phase 8th 5 2 0 3 8 12
Malaysia 1975 did not participate
Argentina 1978 Group phase 14th 6 1 2 3 12 18
India 1982 did not participate
England 1986
Pakistan 1990
Australia 1994 Group phase 11th 5 0 1 4 6 26
Netherlands 1998 did not qualify
Malaysia 2002 Group phase 14th 7 0 0 7 7 23
Germany 2006 did not qualify
India 2010
Netherlands 2014 5th–6th play-off 5th 6 4 0 2 21 13
India 2018 Winners 1st 7 5 2 0 22 5
India 2023 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 3 0 21 8
Belgium / Netherlands 2026 Qualified
Total Best: Winners 7/15 42 15 8 19 97 105

European Championship

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  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

European Championship Record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Belgium 1970 Second round 5th 7 6 0 1 18 7
Spain 1974 Group phase 10th 6 2 1 3 7 9
West Germany 1978 did not participate
Netherlands 1983 Group phase 8th 7 2 1 4 8 17
Soviet Union 1987 Group phase 10th 7 1 3 3 14 21
France 1991 Group phase 9th 7 4 0 3 14 17
Republic of Ireland 1995 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 12 8
Italy 1999 Fourth place 4th 7 4 0 3 19 28
Spain 2003 Group phase 6th 7 2 2 3 21 21
Germany 2005 Fourth place 4th 5 1 1 3 6 20
England 2007 Third place 3rd 5 2 2 1 16 14
Netherlands 2009 Group phase 5th 5 3 0 2 22 11
Germany 2011 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 14 12
Belgium 2013 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 12 6
England 2015 Group phase 5th 5 3 1 1 20 13
Netherlands 2017 Runners-up 2nd 5 2 1 2 13 9
Belgium 2019 Winners 1st 5 5 0 0 22 2
Netherlands 2021 Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 19 10
Germany 2023 Third place 3rd 5 4 0 1 17 8
Total 1 title 18/19 105 52 16 37 273 236

FIH Pro League

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  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

FIH Pro League record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Netherlands 2019 Runners-up 2nd 16 9 3 4 57 33
2020–21 Winners 1st 14 9 3 2 40 26
2021–22 Runners-up 2nd 16 10 4 2 52 25
2022–23 Third place 3rd 16 10 0 6 42 37
2023–24 Fifth place 5th 16 7 2 7 41 39
2024-25 Second place 2nd 8 4 2 2 24 15
Total Best: Winners 5/5 78 45 12 21 256 175

Hockey World League (defunct)

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  Winners    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

Hockey World League record
Year Position Round Pld W D* L GF GA
2012–13 5th Round 2 5 5 0 0 44 6
Semifinal 6 4 2 0 18 9
Final 6 1 2 3 9 10
2014–15 2nd Semifinal 7 5 1 1 21 8
Final 6 3 1 2 14 9
2016–17 5th Semifinal 7 6 0 1 37 8
Final 5 4 0 1 15 5
Total Best: 2nd Final 42 28 6 8 158 55

Champions Trophy (defunct)

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  Winners    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

Champions Trophy record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Pakistan 1978
until
New Zealand 2011
did not participate
Australia 2012 First round 5th 6 2 0 4 15 16
India 2014 Second round 8th 6 1 3 2 13 15
United Kingdom 2016 Second round 5th 6 2 2 2 13 15
Netherlands 2018 Second round 5th 6 1 4 1 12 15
Total Best: 5th place 4/37 24 6 9 9 53 61

Champions Challenge (defunct)

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  Winners    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place

Champions Challenge record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Malaysia 2001 5th–6th play-off 6th 6 0 0 6 6 18
South Africa 2003 did not participate
Egypt 2005 Third place 3rd 9 6 2 1 26 17
Belgium 2007 5th–6th play-off 6th 6 1 1 4 13 21
Australia 2009 7th–8th play-off 7th 5 2 0 3 13 9
South Africa 2011 Winners 1st 6 4 2 0 22 12
Argentina 2012 did not participate
Malaysia 2014
Total Best: Winners 5/8 32 13 5 14 80 77
*Draws include matches decided on a penalty shoot-out.

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

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22 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  1–2  Ireland Antwerp, Belgium
19:00 Hainaut field hockey ball 55' Report Nelson field hockey ball 11'
Cole field hockey ball 20'
Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
23 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  4–1  India Antwerp, Belgium
21:00 Denayer field hockey ball 22'
Hendrickx field hockey ball 34'60'
Charlier field hockey ball 49'
Report Abhishek field hockey ball 55' Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
26 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  1–4  Ireland Antwerp, Belgium
16:15 Kina field hockey ball 9' Report Johnson field hockey ball 17'31'
Duncan field hockey ball 45'
Walker field hockey ball 55'
Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
29 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  5–1  Australia Antwerp, Belgium
19:00 Denayer field hockey ball 8'29'
Hendrickx field hockey ball 18'
Onana field hockey ball 36'
Stockbroekx field hockey ball 48'
Report Sharp field hockey ball 15' Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
30 May 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  3–2  Spain Antwerp, Belgium
21:15 Dohmen field hockey ball 41'
Luypaert field hockey ball 44'
Hendrickx field hockey ball 55'
Report Pe. Cunill field hockey ball 35'
Sanz field hockey ball 42'
Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
1 June 2024 Belgium Leg Belgium  4–1  Spain Antwerp, Belgium
14:00 Hendrickx field hockey ball 1'
Van Aubel field hockey ball 17'58'
Stockbroekx field hockey ball 23'
Report Álvarez field hockey ball 55' Stadium: Wilrijkse Plein Antwerp
23 June 2024 Netherlands Leg Great Britain  1–3  Belgium Utrecht, Netherlands
13:30 Ansell field hockey ball 33' Report Wegnez field hockey ball 17'
Hendrickx field hockey ball 30'37'
Stadium: SV Kampong
25 June 2024 Netherlands Leg Netherlands  3–1  Belgium Utrecht, Netherlands
20:00 Janssen field hockey ball 41'
Reyenga field hockey ball 45'
De Mol field hockey ball 51'
Report Boon field hockey ball 18' Stadium: SV Kampong
30 July 2024 2024 Summer Olympics GS Australia  2–6  Belgium Paris, France
19:45 Sharp field hockey ball 28'
Govers field hockey ball 44'
Report Hendrickx field hockey ball 7'
Boon field hockey ball 15'30'57'
Van Aubel field hockey ball 35'
Kina field hockey ball 38'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
1 August 2024 2024 Summer Olympics GS India  1–2  Belgium Paris, France
10:00 Abhishek field hockey ball 18' Report Stockbroekx field hockey ball 33'
Dohmen field hockey ball 44'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
4 August 2024 2024 Summer Olympics QF Belgium  2–3  Spain Paris, France
12:30 De Sloover field hockey ball 41'
Hendrickx field hockey ball 58'
Report Basterra field hockey ball 40'
Reyné field hockey ball 55'
Miralles field hockey ball 57'
Stadium: Stade Yves-du-Manoir
2 December 2024 Netherlands Leg Belgium  4–3  Germany Amsterdam, Netherlands
14:30 Duvekot field hockey ball 40'
Boon field hockey ball 11'16'54'
Report Zwicker field hockey ball 48'
Sperling field hockey ball 57'
Peillat field hockey ball 60'
Stadium: Wagener Stadium
9 December 2024 Netherlands Leg Germany  3–6  Belgium Amsterdam, Netherlands
14:30 Hartkopf field hockey ball 18'
Prinz field hockey ball 26'
Mazkour field hockey ball 43'
Report Ghislain field hockey ball 5'
Boon field hockey ball 15'42'51'
Hellin field hockey ball 49'
Stockbroekx field hockey ball 50'
Stadium: Wagener Stadium

2025

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19 February 2025 Argentina Leg Argentina  3–5  Belgium Santiago del Estero, Argentina
19:00 Toscani field hockey ball 10'
Habif field hockey ball 58'
Capurro field hockey ball 60'
Report Boon field hockey ball 13'22'60'
Hellin field hockey ball 31'
Stockbroekx field hockey ball 50'
Stadium: Polideportivo Provincial

Team

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Current squad

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On 12 February 2025, the following 24 players were called up for the Pro League matches against the Argentina and Australia in Santiago del Estero, Argentina from 19 to 24 February 2025[5].

Caps updated as of 24 February 2025, after the match against Australia.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps GoalsClub
1 GK Simon Vandenbroucke (1999-06-06) 6 June 1999 (age 25) 11 0 Belgium Waterloo Ducks
14 GK Loic Van Doren (1996-09-14) 14 September 1996 (age 28) 65 0 Belgium Dragons

4 DF Arthur Van Doren (1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 30) 255 19 Belgium Braxgata
9 DF Maxime Van Oost (1999-12-02) 2 December 1999 (age 25) 52 0 Belgium Waterloo Ducks
11 DF Tommy Willems (1997-04-13) 13 April 1997 (age 27) 29 3 Belgium Waterloo Ducks
12 DF Gauthier Boccard (1991-08-26) 26 August 1991 (age 33) 310 26 Belgium Léopold
16 DF Alexander Hendrickx (1993-08-06) 6 August 1993 (age 31) 199 168 Belgium Gantoise
23 DF Arthur De Sloover (1997-05-03) 3 May 1997 (age 27) 175 6 Netherlands Oranje-Rood
33 DF Hugo Labouchère (2004-02-07) 7 February 2004 (age 21) 2 0 Belgium Orée
34 DF Olivier Biekens (1999-05-14) 14 May 1999 (age 25) 15 0 Belgium Braxgata

5 MF Arno Van Dessel (2003-07-03) 3 July 2003 (age 21) 48 1 Belgium Herakles
6 MF Lucas Balthazar (2006-01-08) 8 January 2006 (age 19) 4 0 Belgium Uccle Sport
22 MF Victor Foubert (2002-10-12) 12 October 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Belgium Dragons
24 MF Antoine Kina (1996-02-13) 13 February 1996 (age 29) 134 15 Belgium Gantoise
26 MF Victor Wegnez (1995-12-25) 25 December 1995 (age 29) 177 27 Belgium Waterloo Ducks
28 MF Tobias Biekens (2001-01-02) 2 January 2001 (age 24) 18 0 Belgium Braxgata

7 FW Thibeau Stockbroekx (2000-07-20) 20 July 2000 (age 24) 52 20 Netherlands Oranje-Rood
10 FW William Ghislain (1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 (age 25) 45 9 Belgium Waterloo Ducks
13 FW Nicolas De Kerpel (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 (age 31) 134 44 Belgium Herakles
17 FW Guillaume Hellin (2001-05-28) 28 May 2001 (age 23) 12 3 Belgium Gantoise
18 FW Roman Duvekot (2000-06-21) 21 June 2000 (age 24) 13 2 Belgium Gantoise
27 FW Tom Boon (1990-01-25) 25 January 1990 (age 35) 362 305 Belgium Léopold
30 FW Nelson Onana (2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 25) 46 12 Belgium Léopold
37 FW Thomas Crols (2003-09-11) 11 September 2003 (age 21) 11 0 Belgium Dragons

Recent call-ups

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The following players have been called up for the national team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Vincent Vanasch (1987-12-21) 21 December 1987 (age 37) 288 0 Belgium Orée 2024 Summer Olympics

DF Loïck Luypaert (1991-08-19) 19 August 1991 (age 33) 315 100 Belgium Braxgata 2024 Summer Olympics

MF John-John Dohmen (1988-01-24) 24 January 1988 (age 37) 481 63 Belgium Orée 2024 Summer Olympics
MF Félix Denayer (Captain) (1990-01-31) 31 January 1990 (age 35) 402 48 Belgium Dragons 2024 Summer Olympics
MF Guillermo Hainaut (2002-06-08) 8 June 2002 (age 22) 8 1 Belgium Uccle Sport v.  India, 23 May 2024

FW Cédric Charlier (1987-11-27) 27 November 1987 (age 37) 381 116 Belgium Racing 2024 Summer Olympics
FW Florent Van Aubel (1991-10-25) 25 October 1991 (age 33) 301 119 Netherlands Pinoké 2024 Summer Olympics
FW Tanguy Cosyns (1991-06-29) 29 June 1991 (age 33) 180 80 Belgium Racing v.  Spain, 1 June 2024

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FIH Outdoor World Hockey Rankings". FIH. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  2. ^ Jonckheere, Karien. "Newly crowned hockey champs Belgium's SA connection". SuperSport. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Craig Fulton helps guide Belgium to maiden hockey World Cup". www.irishtimes.com. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Fulton's pride shines as the Red Lions claim World Cup crown". www.independent.ie. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  5. ^ "FIH PRO LEAGUE SEASON 6 - STAGE LIST OF PLAYERS Santiago del Estero (ARG), 19 - 24 February 2025" (PDF). fih.hockey. International Hockey Federation. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
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