Belgium men's national field hockey team explained

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.^{[1] [2] [3]}

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

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

Summer Olympics

First place: 2020

Second place: 2016

Third place: 1920

World Cup

First place: 2018

Second place: 2023

European Championship

First place: 2019

Second place: 2013, 2017

Third place: 2007, 2021, 2023

FIH Pro League

First place: 2020–21

Second place: 2019, 2021–22

Hockey World League

Second place: 2014-15

Champions Challenge

First place: 2011

Third place: 2005

Belgian National Sports Merit Award

Winners: 1959, 2019

Belgian Sportsteam of the Year

Winners: 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019

Tournament history

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

Summer Olympics

Gold   Silver   Bronze   Fourth place

Olympic Games record
Year	Round	Position
1908	did not participate
1912	Not held
1920	Bronze medal	3rd	3	1	0	2	6	19
1924	Not held
1928	Fourth place	4th	5	3	0	2	8	12
1932	did not participate
1936	Group phase	9th	3	0	2	1	5	8
1948	Group phase	5th	4	2	0	2	6	8
1952	Second round	9th	2	1	0	1	6	1
1956	Group phase	7th	3	0	1	2	0	5
1960	Group phase	11th	5	1	1	3	7	9
1964	Group phase	11th	7	2	2	3	10	13
1968	Group phase	9th	8	4	1	3	17	9
1972	Group phase	10th	8	2	1	5	9	16
1976	Group phase	9th	6	3	0	3	11	19
1980	did not qualify
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008	Group phase	9th	6	2	1	3	12	13
2012	Group phase	5th	6	3	1	2	13	9
2016	Runners-up	2nd	8	6	0	2	29	11
2020	Champion	1st	8	6	2	0	35	13
2024	Quarterfinals	5th	6	4	1	1	17	10
Total	Best: Champion	16/26	88	40	13	35	291	173

World Cup

Champions   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

FIH World Cup record
Year	Round	Position
1971	did not participate
1973	Group phase	8th	5	2	0	3	8	12
1975	did not participate
1978	Group phase	14th	6	1	2	3	12	18
1982	did not participate
1986
1990
1994	Group phase	11th	5	0	1	4	6	26
1998	did not qualify
2002	Group phase	14th	7	0	0	7	7	23
2006	did not qualify
2010
2014	5th–6th play-off	5th	6	4	0	2	21	13
2018	Winners	1st	7	5	2	0	22	5
2023	Runners-up	2nd	6	3	3	0	21	8
/ 2026	Qualified
Total	Best: Winners	7/15	42	15	8	19	97	105

European Championship

Champions   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

European Championship Record
Year	Round	Position
1970	Second round	5th	7	6	0	1	18	7
1974	Group phase	10th	6	2	1	3	7	9
1978	did not participate
1983	Group phase	8th	7	2	1	4	8	17
1987	Group phase	10th	7	1	3	3	14	21
1991	Group phase	9th	7	4	0	3	14	17
1995	Fourth place	4th	7	3	2	2	12	8
1999	Fourth place	4th	7	4	0	3	19	28
2003	Group phase	6th	7	2	2	3	21	21
2005	Fourth place	4th	5	1	1	3	6	20
2007	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	16	14
2009	Group phase	5th	5	3	0	2	22	11
2011	Fourth place	4th	5	2	0	3	14	12
2013	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	1	1	12	6
2015	Group phase	5th	5	3	1	1	20	13
2017	Runners-up	2nd	5	2	1	2	13	9
2019	Winners	1st	5	5	0	0	22	2
2021	Third place	3rd	5	3	1	1	19	10
2023	Third place	3rd	5	4	0	1	17	8
Total	1 title	18/19	105	52	16	37	273	236

FIH Pro League

Champions   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

FIH Pro League record
Year	Round	Position
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
Total	Best: Winners	5/5	78	45	12	21	232	160

Hockey World League (defunct)

Winners   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

Hockey World League record
Year	Position	Round
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)

Winners   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

Champions Trophy record
Year	Round	Position
1978 until 2011	did not participate
2012	First round	5th	6	2	0	4	15	16
2014	Second round	8th	6	1	3	2	13	15
2016	Second round	5th	6	2	2	2	13	15
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)

Winners   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place

Champions Challenge record
Year	Round	Position
2001	5th–6th play-off	6th	6	0	0	6	6	18
2003	did not participate
2005	Third place	3rd	9	6	2	1	26	17
2007	5th–6th play-off	6th	6	1	1	4	13	21
2009	7th–8th play-off	7th	5	2	0	3	13	9
2011	Winners	1st	6	4	2	0	22	12
2012	did not participate
2014
Total	Best: Winners	5/8	32	13	5	14	80	77

• Draws include matches decided on a penalty shoot-out.

Results and fixtures

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

2025

Team

Current squad

On 22 November 2024, the following 21 players were called up for the Pro League matches against the Netherlands and Germany in Amstelveen, Netherlands from 1 to 9 December 2024.^[4]

Caps updated as of 4 August 2024, after the match against Spain.

Recent call-ups

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

See also

• Belgium men's national under-21 field hockey team
• Belgium women's national field hockey team

External links

• • FIH profile

Notes and References

1. News: Jonckheere . Karien . Newly crowned hockey champs Belgium's SA connection . 5 August 2021 . SuperSport.
2. News: Craig Fulton helps guide Belgium to maiden hockey World Cup. www.irishtimes.com. 5 February 2019. 16 December 2018.
3. News: Fulton's pride shines as the Red Lions claim World Cup crown. www.independent.ie. 3 February 2019. 17 December 2018.
4. Web site: Red Lions – McLeod kondigt selectie aan voor de Pro League in Nederland . hockey.be . Hockey Belgium . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.

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