The twenty-six Red Devils, called up to play in the World Cup in Qatar, will meet this Monday at the Proximus Basecamp in Tubize.
The next day, they will fly to the Middle East and more precisely to Kuwait. There they will play their last preparation match scheduled for Friday 18 November (16:00 Belgian time) against Egypt.
As soon as the match at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Stadium in Kuwait City is over, the Belgian team will fly to Qatar.
Five days later, they will start the competition on Wednesday 23 November (8pm) against Canada.
"This offers the opportunity to prepare for a major tournament in a specific way by focusing on the time frame. Playing against an African opponent in a Middle Eastern country fills all the facets of our preparation in this regard," said national coach Roberto Martinez.
Also four years ago, a preparation match was played against Egypt before the World Cup. The Devils won 3-0 against the Pharaohs at the King Baudouin Stadium, thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini.
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The Red Devils will start their World Cup on Wednesday 23 November (20:00) against Canada. Morocco will be their second opponent on Sunday 27 November (14h00). The Belgians will play the runners-up Croatia on Thursday 1 December (16:00) in the last match of group F.
The matches against Canada and Croatia will be played at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium in Al Rayyan, while the match against Morocco will be played at the Al Thumama stadium in Doha.
Controversies pile up for hosts
This weekend, it was revealed that Qatar is handing out free tickets to famous football fans, with the catch being they would be required to report any negative comments about the host country. Organisers are desperate to suppress any critics of the tournament.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been subject to many controversies, notably the abuse and deaths of migrant workers brought in to build stadiums for the tournament. Reports suggest around 6,500 migrant workers have lost their lives in preparation for the World Cup.
Another key question has been the harsh repression of civil, political and particularly LGBTQ rights in the country, with many fans choosing to not attend the tournament over fears of being arrested by Qatari authorities.
This week, it was also reported that former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter believes handing the tournament to Qatar under his leadership in 2010 was a "mistake."
