Belgium
FIFA #7
The Golden Generation that peaked at third place in 2018 and has been in a slow, polite decline ever since. Talented beyond belief. Trophy cabinet still empty.
๐ In the US
Based in the Atlanta area, where the Red Devils will find a city that knows how to host big events and a growing European expat community. Belgian waffles are already on every brunch menu in Midtown, so the cultural groundwork has been laid.
Style
Direct and powerful, relying on the individual quality of attackers to create and finish rather than elaborate build-up play.
Rivals
The Netherlands. The Derby of the Low Countries has produced some of Europe's most heated encounters, made more interesting by the fact that both nations are always talented and neither has much silverware to show for it.
Home Base
A country of 11 million that speaks three languages and occasionally forgets it's one nation โ except when the Red Devils play. Football is one of the few things that Flemish, Walloon, and Brussels residents agree on loudly and in the same direction. The golden generation made that unity feel real for a decade.
Human Rights
Freedom House
Political rights and civil liberties score (higher = more free)
Reporters Without Borders
Press Freedom Index ranking (lower = more free, out of 180 countries)
UN Human Development Index
Human Development Index score (higher = more developed, 0โ1 scale)
Transparency International
Perceived public sector corruption โ higher is cleaner
ILGA World
Legal status of same-sex relationships