England take on Belgium at Wembley Stadium in an international friendly on Tuesday. Both sides will be looking to build some good form before the European Championships this summer.
Date: 26/03/2024
Kick off time: 19:45
Location: Wembley Stadium
The last international break before a summer full of tournaments sees England host Belgium. This clash will be important to both sides who hope to take winning momentum into the Euros, where Belgium hope to perform better and England look to take the Final step.
England secured their spot in the Euros this summer early on. In the Qualifiers, The Three Lions played eight games and picked up six wins and two draws, going unbeaten and topping the group - six points above holders Italy.
The last time in tournament competition saw England make it all the way to the Final. However, Gareth Southgate’s men fell at the last hurdle in dramatic fashion with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all missing their penalties, handing Italy the 3 - 2 win and the trophy.
Belgium similarly dominated the Euro Qualifiers this year. In eight games The Red Devils managed six wins and two draws, also going unbeaten in Group F. This gave them direct qualification at top of the group but just one point above Austria.
The Euros were underwhelming for Belgium, considering their strong team. The Red Devils finished top of Group B by a big margin, winning all three of their games. A Thorgan Hazard goal gave Belgium the 1 - 0 win in the Round of 16 but The Red Devils slumped to a 2 - 1 loss to Portugal to crash out at the Quarter-finals.
England and Belgium have met 25 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming in an international friendly all the way back in 1921. The Three Lions have a far better record in the fixture with 16 wins in comparison to Belgium’s five wins, the other four games ending in a draw.
However, three of Belgium’s five wins have all come in the last four meetings. One of these games, importantly, was the 2018 World Cup Third-place Play-off, where Belgium grabbed the bronze with a 2 - 0 win.