The Belgium national football team is nicknamed the Red Devils after the bright red shirts they wear. The team has been playing international football for more than a hundred years, but their most successful period came from around 2014 onwards, when a generation of talented players all reached their prime at the same time.
During this 'golden generation', Belgium rose to number one in the FIFA world rankings - the highest position ever for a small country of just 11 million people. Players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku became household names across Europe and played for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
At home, club football is also very popular. Club Brugge and Anderlecht are the two most successful Belgian clubs, and their matches against each other draw huge crowds. The Belgian Pro League runs from July to May each year and produces talented players who go on to star for bigger clubs abroad.
Football in Belgium is deeply tied to community life. Children join local clubs from the age of five or six, and training sessions are a central part of the week for thousands of families. Belgium has invested heavily in youth coaching and academies, which is one reason the national team produced so many world-class players in the same era.