The Red Devils are going through a difficult period. Under the leadership of coach Domenico Tedesco, the results are disappointing. This situation also has repercussions on the FIFA ranking, where Belgium suffered a significant setback.
Long in first place in the world rankings during the golden age of the “Golden Generation,” Belgium has now fallen to eighth position. A fall which nevertheless made it possible to obtain crucial clarifications concerning the draw for qualifications for the World Cup.
Protected status
According to The Latest Newsthe Red Devils have confirmed their protected status and will be seeded for the draw for the World Cup qualifying groups, scheduled for December 13 in Zurich. They are also expected to feature in a group of five teams rather than four.
Belgium will thus be placed in pot 1, alongside the eight quarter-finalists of the Nations League. The Devils were not among them this time, and their inclusion among the top seeds was close. The last four places were awarded to the highest ranked nations in the FIFA rankings.
Which opponents for Belgium?
Despite their decline in the FIFA rankings, the Red Devils can consider themselves lucky not to have gone lower. In addition to Belgium (8th), hat 1 will also include England (4th), Switzerland (20th) and Austria (22nd). On the other hand, hat 2 is full of potential formidable opponents.
Erling Haaland and Norway, as well as teams like Serbia, Sweden and Turkey, appear in this second hat. In hat 3, teams like Scotland and Georgia, impressive during the last Euro, could also pose a problem. Hats 4 and 5 bring together the more modest nations. The draw will form six groups of four teams and six groups of five.
