The Golden Generation was supposed to win it. In 2026, they either do, or it’s over forever. There are no more safety nets, no more “they’ll be more mature next tournament” excuses, and no more tomorrow.
Fans have been chasing the ghost of 2018 for nearly a decade, praying that the most talented collection of footballers this country ever produced would finally bring home international silverware. Now, the clock has finally run down to the final seconds. This is the absolute end of the road.
Look across the pitch, and the battle-hardened survivors of a decade of heartbreak are plain to see. Only the big three remain from the old guard: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Thibaut Courtois. They are the last icons standing.
What do they have left? Honestly, it’s all about muscle memory, pride, and a desperate desire to rewrite their legacy. Courtois is still a brick wall in goal, playing with the defiance of a man who knows his gloves carry the team’s entire defensive dignity. Lukaku, despite a frustrating, injury-hit club season with Napoli, still turns into a mythical beast the moment he puts on the red shirt. He’s chasing 90 international goals now, but numbers don’t matter anymore; he’s playing to erase the nightmares of past tournament misses.
Then there is De Bruyne. He isn’t covering the same distance he did in 2014 or 2018, but his vision hasn’t aged a day. They aren’t playing for future transfers or individual accolades anymore. They are playing for immortality, fighting to ensure they aren’t remembered as football’s greatest “what if.”
Thankfully, Belgium isn’t entirely reliant on the old guard’s creaking knees. The transition has happened right before everyone’s eyes, and a new wave has finally stepped into the vacuum. Jeremey Doku, Charles De Ketelaere, and Loïs Openda are the headliners of this new era.
But let’s be real from an analyst’s perspective: are they saviors or just an elite supporting cast? Doku is an absolute joy to watch; his terrifying, direct pace on the wing can destabilize any defense on earth. De Ketelaere brings that elegant, intelligent link-up play that has been missed since Eden Hazard’s peak, and Openda provides a frantic, high-energy threat.
However, they still feel like the support cast. When the pressure reaches a boiling point in the knockout rounds, the eyes of the fans still look to De Bruyne to unlock the door. The kids are spectacular, but they haven’t quite seized the keys to the kingdom yet. They are protecting the old guard, not replacing them just yet.
Let’s talk about life post-Domenico Tedesco and under Rudi Garcia. For a while, the fans had to stomach “Tedesco ball” which was organized, structured, and frankly, a bit boring. It was a system designed to hide defensive frailties after legends like Kompany and Vertonghen stepped aside.
The tactical reality check for 2026 is glaring: can they score enough without prime De Bruyne and Hazard? Garcia has tried to unleash Belgium’s natural attacking instincts, knowing their greatest strength lies upfront with Doku, Lukaku, and Trossard. He’s opting for a mid-range block to protect a vulnerable backline featuring younger names like Zeno Debast and Arthur Theate. But let’s not get deluded.
They don’t suffocate teams with relentless possession like they used to. They are built to strike on the break and survive transitions. It’s highly pragmatic, and if De Bruyne gets tightly marked, the creative burden falls entirely on the individual brilliance of Doku. It’s high-wire football.
Supporters have sat through every minute of this journey since 2014. They cheered through the breakthrough in Brazil, cried in Russia, and stared in disbelief at the screens during the disasters in Qatar and Euro 2024. So let’s drop the diplomacy: did this generation waste their window, or were they just unlucky?
They absolutely wasted it.
People love to bring up the 2018 semi-final against France and say a couple of deflections cost Belgium a World Cup final. Sure, that match was agonizingly close. But what about Euro 2016 against Wales? What about the absolute tactical and emotional capitulation in Qatar? This squad spent years ranked Number 1 in the world by FIFA, boasting the best playmaker, the best goalkeeper, and one of the most lethal strikers on the planet.
Yet, the tactical stubbornness of the federation and an innate lack of a ruthless, killer instinct when it mattered most doomed them. They treated friendlies like major cup finals and major cup finals like friendlies. They didn’t just run out of luck; they ran out of nerve.
If this 2026 outfit gets a rating out of 10, it’s a 6.5/10. They have the firepower to blow past the group stage against Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, but the defense still causes absolute anxiety the moment they face an elite European or South American frontline. They are a dangerous underdog, but no longer the terrifying juggernaut.
If a manager were rebuilding this team for the absolute future the day after the tournament ends, the one player to build the entire project around is Jérémy Doku. He represents everything the next generation needs to be: fearless, explosive, and completely unburdened by the psychological scars of the last twelve years. The Golden Generation’s dance is ending, but Doku is the guy who will start the next party.
Rudi Garcia is committed to a traditional, flat back-four system, prioritizing attacking numbers over defensive saturation. Given the squad selection and recent tactical trends heading into the 2026 World Cup, they are most likely to deploy a fluid 4-2-3-1 or a pragmatic 4-3-3 designed to shelter the younger center-backs while letting the front four cause absolute chaos on the counterattack.
| Position | Player | Club |
| GK | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid |
| RB | Timothy Castagne | Fulham |
| CB | Zeno Debast | Sporting CP |
| CB | Arthur Theate | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| LB | Maxim De Cuyper | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| DM | Amadou Onana | Aston Villa |
| CM | Youri Tielemans | Aston Villa |
| AM | Kevin De Bruyne | SSC Napoli |
| RW | Charles De Ketelaere (or L. Trossard) | Atalanta (or Arsenal) |
| LW | Jérémy Doku | Manchester City |
| ST | Romelu Lukaku | SSC Napoli |
Author: Shahrukh Khan