Belgium women's national football team

Early days (1976–1984)

Belgium played its first match against France on May 30, 1976 at Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims, France. The game ended in a 2–1 victory. A year after this debut, the Belgian team played against Switzerland and France, tying both matches, 2–2 and 1–1 respectively. The next year, they faced the same opposition once more and won both games by scores of 1-0 and 2-0. Another victory followed against Yugoslavia with 1–0. The team's first defeat however came at the hands of England: 3–0, which was followed by a 2–0 loss against France and a 2–2 tie against the Netherlands. In the following years, Belgium kept playing mostly against European teams. The team has steadily built a reputation for technical skill and disciplined play, becoming a competitive force in European women's football.

First tournaments (1984–1989)

Belgium participated in qualifications for the first time for the 1984 European Competition for Women's Football. They were sorted in Group 4 with the Netherlands, Denmark and West Germany. The campaign started off well with a 3–2 victory over the Netherlands, but continued with a 1–0 loss against Denmark and a 1–1 draw against West Germany. Despite having a neutral goal difference at this point, the Belgian team ended up last in the group after a 5–0 defeat against the Netherlands and draws against their other two opponents, 2–2 against Denmark and 1–1 against West Germany.

Their second attempt at qualifying was for the 1987 European Competition, where they were joined in Group 3 by France, the Netherlands again and Sweden. Their games against France were one win and one loss, both 3–1. Their matches against their two other opponents however were all defeats: 3–1 and 3–0 against The Netherlands, and 5–0 and 2–1 against Sweden. This resulted in Belgium again ending last in the group.

In attempting to qualify for the 1989 tournament they did better. They played in Group 4 against four other teams: Czechoslovakia, France, Spain and Bulgaria. Among the eight games, they won two, drew four and lost two, with 7 goals for and 4 against. This earned them third place in the group of five, which did not suffice for qualification.

Stagnation (1990–2011)

The Belgian team suffered a series of poor results from 1990 to 2011. They never won even half of their matches in any of the qualification campaigns during this period, except for one. This notable exception was the 2003 Women's World Cup qualifiers, where they won five games and suffered only one loss. Scotland however had achieved the same result and with better goal difference, leaving Belgium second in their group. This was nevertheless Belgium's best performance at the World Cup qualifiers until 2019 when they went out in the play-offs. It was followed by their worst: they lost all eight games in the next iteration (2007). At the UEFA Women's Euro qualifications, their best performances during this period were at the 1995 edition and the 2009 edition, both times losing 'only' half of their matches and drawing one.

Improvements (2011–2018)

An era of victories began when Ives Serneels replaced Anne Noë as manager in 2011. Serneels led the team to improved qualification campaigns for Euro 2013 and 2015 World Cup, both times ending third in the group (just short of qualifying). Between both campaigns, the Belgian female football team adopted the nickname "Belgian Red Flames".^[2] Following the improvements, the RBFA invested in more growth in 2015, targeting qualification for Euro 2017.^[3] After a successful start in their qualifications group, the team was invited to play at the 2016 Algarve Cup in Portugal, one of the most prestigious women's international football events.

Belgium finished second in their Euro 2017 qualifications group (after England), which was enough to earn them their first ever qualification for a major tournament. At the European championship Belgium secured a 2–0 upset win over Norway during the group stage. However, after losing 1–0 to Denmark and 2–1 to the Netherlands, they finished third in their group and did not advance to the knockout rounds.

First success (2019–2022)

Belgium performed well in UEFA World Cup Qualifying for the 2019 World Cup and secured second place in Group 6 behind Italy. As a result, they qualified for the UEFA Play-offs as they were one of the top 4 ranked second place teams. Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark were the other teams in the play-off. Belgium faced Switzerland in their play-off semi-final, after two legs the aggregate score was 3–3, but Switzerland advanced on away goals. The Netherlands went on to defeat Switzerland in the play-off final to claim the final UEFA qualifying spot at the 2019 World Cup.^[4]
In 2019, Belgium also finished third during the 2019 Cyprus cup after defeating Austria on penalties.^[5]

In 2022, Belgium won the Pinatar Cup, a friendly tournament held in Spain, beating Russia on penalties.^[6] Euro 2022 was a success for Belgium, who managed to get out of the first round and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their second appearance at the continental finals. The Red Flames finished 2nd in Group D behind France, the group's favorite against whom they conceded a narrow defeat (1–2), but ahead of Iceland and Italy after a 1–1 draw against the former and a 1–0 victory against the latter (an outgoing quarter-finalists of the 2019 World Cup), in the last match. All this combined with the lack of a victory for the Icelandic women against the French, who were already assured a finish in first place of the group, in the other match (1–1). This historic qualification was made possible in part by the performance of Belgian goalkeeper Nicky Evrard, who saved two penalties in each of the first two games (against Iceland and France). Belgium faced Sweden in the quarter-finals, the winner of group C and silver medalist at the Olympic games in Tokyo.^[7] The Belgians lost by a score of 0–1 at the end of the match and saw their journey end at this stage of the competition.^[8]

Nicknames

At the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2015 World Cup in Canada, the team earned their first and current nickname: the "Belgian Red Flames".^[2] Prior to that, they were simply known as "Rode Duivelinnen" (Red Devil Ladies).^[9]

Kits and crest

On September 19, 2022 the RBFA presented new home kits. This was the first time that a unified look was presented for all Belgian national teams. It replaces the one-off black home shirt which was released earlier in support of women's football in Belgium.^[10]
The kit comes with a red base, and black and yellow details representing the Belgian flag. The jersey features a dynamic graphic print of flames on both sleeves, hinting at the team's nickname "Red Flames".

Kit suppliers

More information Adidas, Period ...

Adidas	Period	Ref
Home kit 2022	2022-present	[10]
Home kit 2021	2021-2022	[10]

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Home stadium

The team plays their home matches mostly at Den Dreef but occasionally at other stadiums in Belgium.

2025

England  v  Belgium

4 April 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League	England	5–0	Belgium	Bristol, England
20:00	Bronze 21' Bright 45+1' Beever-Jones 67' Park 78' Walsh 88'	Report		Stadium: Ashton Gate Attendance: 23,202 Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza (Spain)

Belgium  v  England

8 April 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League	Belgium	3–2	England	Leuven, Belgium
20:30	Wullaert 4', 29' Vanhanvermaet 16'		Mead 35' (pen.) Agyemang 81'	Stadium: Den Dreef

Belgium  v  Spain

30 May 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League	Belgium	1–5	Spain	Leuven, Belgium
20:30	De Caigny 88'		González 36', 64' Del Castillo 78', 79' Redondo 85'	Stadium: Den Dreef

Portugal  v  Belgium

3 June 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League	Portugal	0–3	Belgium	Funchal, Portugal
18:00			Vanhaevermaet 37' Wullaert 67' (pen.), 72'	Stadium: Estádio do Marítimo

France  v  Belgium

20 June Friendly	France	5–0	Belgium	Valenciennes, France
21:10	Gago 17' Malard 42', 78', 85' Karchaoui 59'			Stadium: Stade du Hainaut

Belgium  v  Greece

26 June Friendly	Belgium	2–0	Greece	Brussels, Belgium
20:30	Wullaert 24' Janssens 48'			Stadium: Edmond Machtens Stadium

Belgium  v  Italy

3 July UEFA Women's Euro 2025	Belgium	0–1	Italy	Sion, Switzerland
18:00				Stadium: Stade de Tourbillon

Spain  v  Belgium

7 July UEFA Women's Euro 2025	Spain	6–2	Belgium	Thun, Switzerland
18:00				Stadium: Arena Thun

Portugal  v  Belgium

11 July UEFA Women's Euro 2025	Portugal	1–2	Belgium	Sion, Switzerland
21:00				Stadium: Stade de Tourbillon

Republic of Ireland  v  Belgium

24 October 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Play-offs	Republic of Ireland	4–2	Belgium	Dublin, Ireland
19:00 IST	McCabe 45' (pen.), 62' Evrard 54' (o.g.) Sheva 66'	Report	Wullaert 52' Detruyer 82'	Stadium: Aviva Stadium Attendance: 14,180 Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)

Belgium  v  Republic of Ireland

28 October 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Play-offs	Belgium	2–1 (4–5 agg.)	Republic of Ireland	Leuven, Belgium
20:30 CET	Wullaert 33', 39'	Report	Larkin 90'	Stadium: Den Dreef Attendance: 7,700 Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)

Switzerland  v  Belgium

28 November Friendly	Switzerland	1–2	Belgium	Jerez, Spain
19:00 UTC+0				Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Chapín

Finland  v  Belgium

1 December Friendly	Finland	1–1	Belgium	Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain
19:00	Sevenius 34'		Janssens 12'	Stadium: Estadio El Pamar

2026

Israel  v  Belgium

3 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification	Israel	0–3	Belgium	Budaörs (Hungary)[b]
19:30		Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)	Wullaert 26' Eurlings 42' Janssen 89'	Stadium: BSC Stadium Attendance: 0 [12] Referee: Michaela Pachtová (Czech Republic)

Belgium  v  Israel

7 March 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification	Belgium	5–0	Israel	Budaörs, Hungary[b]
17:00	Wullaert 10', 16', 66' (pen.) Mertens 19' Missipo 90+3'	Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA)		Stadium: BSC Stadium Attendance: 0 [12] Referee: Rasa Grigonė (Lithuania)

Scotland  v  Belgium

14 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification	Scotland	v	Belgium	Edinburgh, Scotland
				Stadium: Easter Road

Belgium  v  Scotland

18 April 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification	Belgium	v	Scotland	Leuven, Belgium
20:30				Stadium: Den Dreef

Belgium  v  Luxembourg

5 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification	Belgium	v	Luxembourg	Leuven, Belgium
20:15				Stadium: Den Dreef

Luxembourg  v  Belgium

9 June 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Luxembourg

v

Belgium

Current coaching staff

As of 21 January 2025^[13]

More information Role, Name ...

Role	Name
Head coach	Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir
Assistant coach	Kris Van Der Haegen
Goalkeeping coach	Jan Van Steenberghe[14]
Performance analyst	Niels Leroy
	Hanne Nielandt
	Arne Jaspers
Nutritionist	Gino Devriendt
Mental coach	Steffi Van Ranst
Team doctor	Karolien Lemmens
	Kris Vanderlinden
Physiotherapist	Fabienne Van De Steene
	Jan Van der Jeugt
Manager women's football	Katrien Jans

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Manager history

• Albert Bers (1976–1991)
• Marc Van Geersom (1991–1994)
• Johan Bol (1994–1999)
• Anne Noë (1999–2010)
• Ives Serneels (2011–2024)
• Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir (2025–)

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification matches on 3 and 7 March 2026, both against Israel. ^[15]

Caps and goals are correct as of 1 December 2025, after the match against Finland.

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Femke Bastiaen	(2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Utrecht
	1GK	Diede Lemey	(1996-10-07) 7 October 1996 (age 29)	9	0	Twente
	1GK	Lowiese Seynhaeve	(1999-12-29) 29 December 1999 (age 26)	0	0	OH Leuven
	2DF	Sari Kees	(2001-02-17) 17 February 2001 (age 25)	46	5	Leicester City
	2DF	Saar Janssen	(2005-07-22) 22 July 2005 (age 20)	8	0	OH Leuven
	2DF	Constance Brackman	(2003-08-15) 15 August 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Standard Liège
	2DF	Janice Cayman	(1988-10-12) 12 October 1988 (age 37)	169	49	Leicester City
	2DF	Zenia Mertens	(2001-02-27) 27 February 2001 (age 25)	9	0	OH Leuven
	2DF	Isabelle Iliano	(1997-03-02) 2 March 1997 (age 29)	15	0	Club YLA
	2DF	Amy Littel	(2004-04-15) 15 April 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Club YLA
	3MF	Valesca Ampoorter	(2004-06-06) 6 June 2004 (age 21)	0	0	TSG Hoffenheim
	3MF	Justine Vanhaevermaet	(1992-04-29) 29 April 1992 (age 33)	79	11	Crystal Palace
	3MF	Elena Dhont	(1998-03-27) 27 March 1998 (age 27)	48	4	Sassuolo
	3MF	Marie Detruyer	(2004-01-13) 13 January 2004 (age 22)	32	4	Inter Milan
	3MF	Kassandra Missipo	(1998-02-03) 3 February 1998 (age 28)	75	2	Sassuolo
	3MF	Jarne Teulings	(2002-01-11) 11 January 2002 (age 24)	30	2	Eintracht Frankfurt
	3MF	Luna Vanzeir	(2005-11-30) 30 November 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Anderlecht
	4FW	Hannah Eurlings	(2003-01-01) 1 January 2003 (age 23)	43	7	Union Berlin
	4FW	Aurélie Reynders	(2007-07-08) 8 July 2007 (age 18)	2	0	OH Leuven
	4FW	Tessa Wullaert (captain)	(1993-03-19) 19 March 1993 (age 33)	152	97	Inter Milan
	4FW	Mariam Toloba	(1999-09-20) 20 September 1999 (age 26)	16	2	Nantes
	4FW	Lore Jacobs	(2005-04-27) 27 April 2005 (age 20)	1	0	PSV
	4FW	Ella Van Kerkhoven	(1993-11-20) 20 November 1993 (age 32)	33	16	Feyenoord

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Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Nicky Evrard	(1995-05-26) 26 May 1995 (age 30)	76	0	PSV	v.  Finland, 1 December 2025
DF	Amber Tysiak INJ	(2000-01-26) 26 January 2000 (age 26)	46	5	West Ham United	v.  Israel, 3 March 2026
DF	Jill Janssens INJ	(2003-10-03) 3 October 2003 (age 22)	44	3	TSG Hoffenheim	v.  Israel, 3 March 2026
DF	Laura Deloose RET	(1993-06-18) 18 June 1993 (age 32)	111	4	Anderlecht	v.  Finland, 1 December 2025
DF	Davina Philtjens RET	(1989-02-26) 26 February 1989 (age 37)	128	10	Sassuolo	UEFA Women's Euro 2025
DF	Laura De Neve RET	(1994-10-09) 9 October 1994 (age 31)	65	3	Anderlecht	v.  Portugal, 26 February 2025
DF	Marie Minnaert	(1999-05-05) 5 May 1999 (age 26)	32	3	Anderlecht	v.  Netherlands, 29 October 2024
DF	Jasmien Mathys	(2002-01-07) 7 January 2002 (age 24)	0	0	Gent	v.  Republic of Ireland, 28 October 2025
DF	Nia Elyn	(2004-05-30) 30 May 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Gent	v.  Portugal, 3 June 2025
MF	Tine De Caigny	(1997-06-09) 9 June 1997 (age 28)	112	42	Anderlecht	v.  Finland, 1 December 2025
MF	Sarah Wijnants	(1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 26)	44	3	Anderlecht	v.  Finland, 1 December 2025
FW	Jassina Blom	(1994-09-03) 3 September 1994 (age 31)	44	11	UD Tenerife	UEFA Women's Euro 2025
FW	Lisa Petry	(2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 (age 25)	6	0	Genk	v.  Republic of Ireland, 28 October 2025
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from the national team

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Most capped players

Top goalscorers

FIFA Women's World Cup

More information FIFA Women's World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA Women's World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1991	Did not qualify									6	1	0	5	1	12
1995										6	2	1	3	15	13
1999										8	0	1	7	6	23
2003										6	5	0	1	13	9
2007										8	0	0	8	8	25
2011										8	3	1	4	18	13
2015										10	6	1	3	34	11
2019										8	4	2	1	11	8
2023	11	7	1	2	56	7
2027	To be determined									To Be Determined
2031	To be determined									To Be Determined
2035	To be determined								To Be Determined
Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	71	28	7	34	162	121
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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UEFA Women's Championship

More information UEFA Women's Championship record, Qualification record ...

UEFA Women's Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rnk
1984	Did not qualify									6	1	3	2	7	12	–
1987										6	1	0	5	6	17
1989										8	2	4	2	7	4
1991										6	1	0	5	1	12
1993										4	1	2	1	1	8
1995										6	2	1	3	15	13
1997										Unable to qualify
2001
2005										8	1	0	7	5	39	–
2009										8	3	1	4	7	15
2013										10	6	2	2	18	8
2017	Group stage	10th	3	1	0	2	3	3		8	5	2	1	27	5
2022	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	3	4		8	7	0	1	37	5
2025	Group stage	11th	3	1	0	2	2	8		10	4	2	4	14	19	[c]	12th
Total	Quarter-finals	3/14	10	3	1	6	8	15		88	34	17	37	145	157	12th
* Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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UEFA Women's Nations League

More information UEFA Women's Nations League record, League phase ...

UEFA Women's Nations League record
League phase													Finals
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	RK		Year	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2023–24	A	1	3rd	8	4	2	2	17	12	*	10th		2024	Did not qualify
2025	A	3	3rd	8	3	0	5	13	21	*	10th		2025	Did not qualify
Total				16	7	2	7	30	33	10th			Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

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More information * ...

	Promoted at end of season
	No movement at end of season
	Relegated at end of season
*	Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs

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Algarve Cup

Belgium was invited to play at the 2016 Algarve Cup in Portugal and ended fifth out of eight teams. The teams were divided into two groups; after the group stage, placement matches were played among the equally ranked teams from both groups. Belgium ended third in Group A, and won the placement match against Russia (third place in Group B) with 5–0.^[17]

Cyprus Cup

Belgium has been invited to the Cyprus Cup four times, as of 2019^[update]. Their first appearance was in 2015. They were sorted into group C that year, with Mexico, Czech Republic and South Africa, and ended last in the group. They also lost the placement match (after penalties) against South Korea, resulting in the last place of all 12 teams. In 2017 Belgium finished third in Group A with Switzerland, North Korea and Italy, and eventually reached seventh place out of 12 after winning the placement match against Austria.^[18]

Belgium was also invited to play the tournament in 2018, in a group with Austria, Czech Republic and Spain. They ended second in the group behind eventual winner Spain, and fifth overall (out of 12) after winning the placement match against South Africa. Belgium returned to the Cyprus Cup in 2019. They were in Group C with Austria, Slovakia and Nigeria.^[5] Belgium finished in third place after defeating Austria on penalties in the third place match.

Pinatar Cup

Belgium were crowned Pinatar Cup champions in 2022. Belgium beat Russia in the final after taking the game to penalties.^[19]

Friendly

• Cyprus cup
  • Third place (1): 2019
• Pinatar Cup
  • Champions (1): 2022