Camavinga's laugh over 11-year win fuels rivalry with France

On a cold morning in 1904, about 2,000 spectators gathered at the Stade du Vivier d’Oie in Ukkel to witness the very first international match between Belgium and France, a friendly encounter that ended in a 3‑3 draw under a cloudy sky.

Since that first meeting, the Red Devils and Les Bleus have contested 75 duels. Belgium has secured thirty victories, lost twenty‑six times and drawn nineteen times.

Historical encounters and statistics

The last Belgian victory on French soil took place on June 7, 2015 at the Stade de France, where the Red Devils lost 3‑4 but displayed a spectacular comeback. Marouane Fellaini scored twice, while Romelu Lukaku and Radja Nainggolan each netted one goal. After an early 0‑3, Belgium was still in the race thanks to Valbuena’s one‑off strike and Eden Hazard’s fourth goal, after which Olivier Giroud’s side scored two late goals from Ousmane Fekir and Dimitri Payet.

After that triumph, however, Belgium had to wait eleven more years for a new moment of glory, a period that ended in 2026 when the rivalry was examined again.

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In the major tournaments, the French have more often delivered the decisive blow. Five confrontations yielded an equal number of victories for France, including the 5‑0 thrashing at the Euro 1984 and the defeat in the small final of the World Cup in Mexico 1986.

Recent defeats and the aftermath

The 2018 World Cup trauma manifested when Samuel Umtiti scored a header that kept Belgium just outside the final. At Euro 2024, the Red Devils were eliminated in the round of 16 in Germany by an own goal from Jan Vertonghen, a painful moment for the generations. In the 2021 Nations League semi‑final, a first half with goals from Jordi Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku produced a 2‑2 scoreline, after which Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé respectively netted the equaliser and the winning goal, and Eden Hernandez sealed the French victory in the final minute.

A few months later, the Red Devils faced France again in the Nations League. In Paris, Belgium lost 0‑2, while in Brussels a 1‑2 defeat followed, both times with a red card for the French. “I understand that it is more a thorn in the side of the Belgians,” Aurélien Camavinga laughed yesterday at the press conference.

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The overview of Football, Tennis, Formula and Programme also displays, among others, the Jupiler Pro League, the Challenger Pro League, the Champions League, the Europa League, the Conference League and more, including Belgium’s Nations League matches. Mark van Bommels was tasked with guiding the Belgian squad in its search for recovery. This rivalry remains a source of passion and tension, with each encounter further writing the history of both nations.