A star-studded Belgium were hoping to win their first World Cup trophy in Qatar, having got off to a winning start but the signs in the opening performance were anything but promising, and the writing was on the wall.
Thibaut Courtois' penalty-kick save and a Michy Batshuayi goal helped Belgium beat Canada in their opener, but the Red Devils were on their heels for the entire match. Even Belgium manager Roberto Martinez admitted that the Canadians were the better side.
However, the three points put Belgium in strong position to advance with matches against Morocco and then Croatia to come.
But then things really fell apart. First, Morocco turned in a superb performance to win 2-0, and then, with a victory needed, Belgium squandered a host of chances to draw 0-0 with Croatia and drop out of the tournament.
MORE: Final 26-man Belgium squad | Complete World Cup schedule
World Cup Group F final standings
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Morocco | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| 2. Croatia | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| 3. Belgium E | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 4. Canada E | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | -5 |
Belgium 2022 World Cup schedule
After defeating Canada 1-0, Belgium faced Morocco in a game they were expected to win.
The Moroccans stifled Croatia in a 0-0 opening match deadlock, and with a little bit of luck might have walked away with all three points.
A win would have clinched a spot in the Round of 16 for Belgium, but as it was they were outplayed — going down 2-0 with a loss that meant they were sweating it out on the final matchday against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia.
They had chances, too, but in the end they simply could not break Croatia down as a 0-0 draw consigned them to the exit, and ultimately saw Roberto Martinez walk away from his job.
Group F match results
| Date | Match | Time (ET / GMT) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Belgium 1 Canada 0 | Highlights | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Belgium 0 Morocco 2 | Highlights | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Thu, Dec. 1 | Belgium 0 Croatia 0 | Highlights | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
Belgium World Cup group: Group F
Belgium were drawn in Group F alongside Canada, Morocco and Croatia.
The Red Devils were expected to top the group, with Croatia appearing likely to be their biggest challengers.
Canada are appearing at their first World Cup since 1986 and have acquitted themselves well.
🔙 #OnThisDay in 2018 some magnificent saves from @thibautcourtois and this brilliant Kevin De Bruyne goal helped Belgium edge Brazil 2-1 in a mouth-watering #WorldCup quarter-final 🇧🇪@BelRedDevils | @DeBruyneKevpic.twitter.com/obhv28Mbd1
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 6, 2021
World Cup Group F betting odds
The pre-tournament betting odds for Belgium and other Group F sides in the major global territories follow below.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sky Bet (UK), Sports Interaction (Canada), and Ladbrokes (Australia).
Odds to win Group F:
| USA (BetMGM) | Canada (Sports Interaction) | UK (SkyBet) | Australia (Ladbrokes) | |
| Belgium | -175 | 1.67 | 8/1 | 1.73 |
| Croatia | +225 | 3.42 | 2/1 | 3.00 |
| Morocco | +900 | 11.00 | 8/1 | 9.00 |
| Canada | +1100 | 7.15 | 12/1 | 11.00 |
Odds to qualify to Round of 16:
| USA (BetMGM) | Canada (Sports Interaction) | UK (SkyBet) | Australia (Ladbrokes) | |
| Belgium | -700 | 1.10 | 1/6 | 1.17 |
| Croatia | -225 | 1.58 | 4/9 | 1.44 |
| Morocco | +200 | 3.06 | 9/4 | 3.00 |
| Canada | +250 | 3.19 | 3/1 | 3.25 |
Odds to win the World Cup:
| USA (BetMGM) | Canada (Sports Interaction) | UK (SkyBet) | Australia (Ladbrokes) | |
| Belgium | +1400 | 10.60 | 14/1 | 13.00 |
| Croatia | +4000 | 30.89 | 50/1 | 41.00 |
| Morocco | +25000 | 121 | 200/1 | 251 |
| Canada | +25000 | 124 | 500/1 | 251 |
How to watch the World Cup
Here's how to watch the World Cup action in the major global territories:
| Territory | TV | Streaming |
| USA | FOX/FS1/Telemundo (Spanish) /Universo (Spanish) | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo En Vivo |
| Canada | TSN, CTV, RDS (French) | TSN GO, CTV, RDS |
| UK | BBC/ITV/STV | BBC iPlayer, ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Sports18 | Voot TV |
Qatar World Cup game times
Qatar is situated in the Arabian Standard Time Zone, which is GMT +3. Here are the World Cup 2022 kickoff times across the major global territories:
Group stage:
| Local (Qatar) | USA & Canada (ET) | UK (GMT) | Australia (AEDT) | India (IST) |
| 1 p.m. | 5 a.m. | 10 a.m. | 9 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. |
| 4 p.m. | 8 a.m. | 1 p.m. | 12 a.m. | 6:30 p.m. |
| 7 p.m. | 11 a.m. | 4 p.m. | 3 a.m. | 9:30 p.m. |
| 10 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 12:30 a.m. |
Knockout stage
| Local (Qatar) | USA & Canada (ET) | UK (GMT) | Australia (AEDT) | India (IST) |
| 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. | 3 p.m. | 2 a.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
| 10 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 12:30 a.m. |