Hockey World Cup 2023: Belgium Team Profile

The emergence of Belgian hockey has been one of the most fascinating tales of the preceding ten years. They are the defending champions and the newest team to win the Men's Hockey World Cup.

The emergence of Belgian hockey has been one of the most fascinating tales of the preceding ten years. They are the defending champions and the newest team to win the Men's Hockey World Cup. Belgium, who were previously considered underdogs in the sport, made headlines when they won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. The achievement of the medal followed an approximately 15-year process of systematic advancement in the nation's game at all levels.

Following their Olympic silver, Belgium won the World Cup itself two years later, and two years after that, they won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, solidifying their position as one of the hockey world's most powerful teams. In the 2018 competition, Belgium qualified for the cross-overs after placing second in Pool C, just behind the hosts India.

They defeated Pakistan 5-0 in the preliminary rounds before defeating Germany 2-1 in the quarterfinals. After defeating England 5-0 in the semifinals, Belgium faced the Netherlands, the defending champions, in the championship match. No goals were scored, and Belgium maintained composure to prevail 3-2 on penalties.

Only their sixth World Cup appearance overall, Belgium. They didn't compete in the World Cups of 1971, 1975, 1982, 1986, or 1990 and didn't make the qualifying teams in 1998, 2006, or 2010. Prior to starting their illustrious run, they secured a fifth-place result at the 2014 World Cup.