Belgium announce 18-men squad for Men's Hockey World Cup 2023

The Red Lions will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy this edition.

Belgium have named a very experienced squad for their Hockey World Cup defence. Ranked second in the world, Belgium overcame Netherlands 3-2 in penalties after a goalless draw in the final of the previous edition. Coach Michel van den Heuvel has banked on his experienced core to deliver more silverware. The Red Lions have won the Euro and tasted Olympic success as well. 11 members of the 18-strong squad are aged 31 or over.

Belgium squad for Men's Hockey World Cup 2023

Goalkeepers: Loic Van Doren, Vincent Vanasch

Defenders: Arthur Van Doren, Gauthier Boccard, Alexander Hendrickx, Arthur De Sloover, Loick Luypaert

Midfielders: John-John Dohmen, Felix Denayer (captain), Simon Gougnard, Antoine Kina, Victor Wegnez

Forwards: Florent Van Aubel, Sebastien Dockier, Cedric Charlier, Nicholas De Kerpel, Tom Boon, Tanguy Cosyns

Reserves: Maxime Van Oost, Thibeau Stockbroekx

Head Coach: Michel van den Heuvel

Midfielder John-John Dohmen has 436 caps, while Charlier, Denayer, and Gougnard all have over 300 caps. Belgium are in Pool B with Germany, South Korea, and Japan. They get the tournament underway on the 14th by facing South Korea at the Kalinga Stadium. The fixture against Germany will be a test for van den Heuvel’s team. Belgium travels to Rourkela’s Birsa Munda Stadium for their final group-stage match against Japan.

With a settled core of experienced players, Belgium is a very tough team to beat. Veterans John-John Dohmen and captain Denayer run the midfield show for the Red Lions. There are goals aplenty among the forwards too. With the right approach to knockout games, Belgium will not want to let go of the trophy. Winning the World Cup twice on the trot has been achieved by Pakistan (1978 and 1982), Germany (2002 and 2006) and Australia (2010 and 2014).