The Republic of Ireland welcome Belgium to Aviva Stadium this Saturday in an international friendly. Belgium looks to prepare for the European Championships, whereas Ireland will be aiming to get some good wins under their belt.
Date: 23/03/2024
Kick-off time: 17:00
Location: Aviva Stadium
A disappointing qualifying campaign means there is nothing for Ireland to prepare for, but they’ll be looking to strengthen the cohesion in the squad before they aim for World Cup qualification. Belgium, however, will be looking to gather some good momentum before the European Championships.
The qualifiers for the 2024 European Championships saw Ireland drawn into Group B along with the likes of World Cup Finalists France, the Netherlands, Greece and Gibraltar. In eight games, Ireland could only manage two wins and six losses, leaving them on six points and 12 points from qualification.
This is the last round of friendlies before the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers where Ireland will be looking to make their first World Cup appearance since the 2002 World Cup. In fact, Ireland have only competed at the World Cup three times in their histories, with the furthest they’ve made it being the Quarter-finals in 1990.
Belgium, on the other hand, finished top of Group F in the European Qualifiers. Group F saw The Red Devils take on Austria, Sweden, Azerbaijan and Estonia. In eight games, Belgium picked up six wins and two draws, finishing unbeaten, just one point ahead of Austria.
The last tournament outing for Belgium was a disappointing display at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Red Devils were drawn into Group F along with Morocco, Croatia and Canada. In three games, Belgium won once, drew once and lost once and crashed out in the group stage.
Ireland and Belgium have met 16 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming in an international friendly all the way back in 1928. Belgium have the slightly better record in the fixture with six wins in comparison to Ireland’s four wins. In fact, a draw is more common than an Ireland win, happening on six occasions.
The last five games in this fixture have seen three draws and two Belgium wins. Ireland haven’t beaten The Red Devils since a 3 - 2 win in a friendly back in 1966. However, both teams are usually on the scoresheet, with both teams scoring in three of the last five games.
