Belgium's Golden Generation Exits FIFA World Cup 2026 After Quarter-Final Loss to Spain

Los Angeles. A fairy-tale farewell in football is rare. With Belgium's 'Red Devils' golden generation's remaining four members' World Cup journey possibly ending here after losing 2-1 to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals.

Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Axel Witsel have been pillars of the Belgian team since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, their last chance to win football's biggest title ended due to a mistake by a player from the new generation.

Courtois, who was substituted in the second half due to injury, was watching the game from the bench. At that moment, in the 88th minute of the game, goalkeeper Senne Lammens, 24, failed to control the ball, and it slipped from his hands. Taking advantage of this, Mikel Merino easily scored from the 'rebound' and gave Spain victory.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former defender Stephen Warnock said, 'Lammens could not handle himself at this crucial moment. Last season he did not make such a mistake against Manchester United, but the pressure of the World Cup was on another level.'

The time for the new generation will surely come, but for the old generation, this has become a very sad farewell.

• 'They could have tasted big success for the last time'

Kevin De Bruyne has played 124 international matches for Belgium. In the group stage match against Algeria in the 2014 World Cup, which Belgium won 2-1, the Belgian team was full of superstar players in excellent form.

At that time, Courtois, De Bruyne, Witsel, and Lukaku were in the starting eleven. Along with them, Eden Hazard, Mousa Dembele, and Vincent Kompany also started the game, while Dries Mertens and Marouane Fellaini came in from the bench.

Belgium, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 2002, reached the quarter-finals as group winners. After that, in 2018, the team reached the semi-finals and secured third place.

This generation also reached the quarter-finals in Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. However, in the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, the team was eliminated from the group stage.

Many critics say that such a talented team should have achieved more. But for a country with a population of less than 12 million, isn't achieving such great success in world football an extraordinary achievement in itself?

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balagué said, 'The golden generation must win gold to be called that, only then will the nickname be meaningful. In Belgium, expectations from this team were excessively raised. But players like Lukaku, De Bruyne, Tielemans, and Trossard have actually had a very good journey.'

He added, 'They finished third in the 2018 World Cup. Many have forgotten that achievement under Roberto Martinez's coaching. The question arises whether it was right to expect more from them. In competition with teams like England's golden generation, the experienced Italy, and the re-emerging Spain, it was probably too much to expect Belgium to necessarily win the title.'

Along with these famous players, Leandro Trossard (31), Brandon Mechele (33), Timothy Castagne (33), Hans Vanaken (33), and Thomas Meunier (34) have also possibly played their last World Cup.

After the match, coach Rudi Garcia said, 'I feel very sorry for the players who will possibly not return to the national team. I wanted to take my team to the highest possible stage. It was my wish that my experienced players get a memorable final success before the end of their careers. Unfortunately, that was not possible. I think they were all worthy of going further in this World Cup.'

• 'Our young players will learn a lot from this'

Before the impressive 4-1 victory over co-hosts USA in the Round of 16, goalkeeper Courtois had said, 'This is the beginning of a new era for us. Some players from the golden generation are still in the team, but the Qatar World Cup was not good for us. Now a new generation has arrived. Young players have come with a strong desire to make history.'

13 out of Belgium's 26-man squad are 25 years old or younger, which gives hope for the future.

Forward Charles De Ketelaere scored only three goals in 31 games in Italy's Serie A last season. But in the World Cup, he scored three goals, becoming Belgium's joint top scorer. The 25-year-old also provided an assist and created enough space for wingers to penetrate the penalty area, delivering an impressive performance.

29-year-old captain Youri Tielemans scored both the equalizer and the winning goal in the thrilling comeback victory against Senegal in the Round of 32. 24-year-old Amadou Onana was also performing excellently when he suffered an 'Anterior Cruciate Ligament' (ACL) injury while playing against the USA. 24-year-old Jeremy Doku is considered a world-class talent. However, he could not replicate the excellent form he showed for Manchester City last season in this World Cup.

Coach Garcia said, 'Our young players will learn a lot from this defeat. We can be proud of our World Cup journey. Learning comes from defeat, and there is no reason for us to be ashamed. We gave Spain a tough challenge until the end.'

'We lost a goalkeeper, we lost a captain. Kevin De Bruyne also had to be substituted out of plan. Many things did not go our way,' he added, 'No one gives away opportunities as gifts at this level. But unfortunately, we gifted some opportunities to the opposition through our own mistakes.'

(From BBC)