In eight attempts since 1991, Belgium's national rugby have never qualified for a World Cup. This month's qualifying tournament for the 2027 edition, which kicks off this evening in Dubai, could be their best chance yet.
The four-team round-robin competition will determine the 24th and final team to clinch their place at the tournament in Australia. The 'Black Devils' will take on World Cup regulars Namibia this evening for the first of their three fixtures, before facing Brazil and then Samoa over the next ten days.
Belgium, who are currently ranked 22nd in the world, play in the Rugby Europe Championship (REC), the yearly second-tier competition for the continent's national teams who are not involved in the Six Nations. This season, the Black Devils clinched fifth place in the REC, beating Germany, Switzerland, and The Netherlands in the process, and also won a test-match against Canada in July.
Twenty years ago, the Black Devils were lying outside the top 50 in the world rankings. "To be three matches away from qualifying for the World Cup shows the progress that Belgian rugby has made," explained full-back Matias Remue in an interview with The Brussels Times.
"I hope that this is only the start of our development," he said. "We've seen it in our recent results, and in the work that [head coach] Laurent Dossat has put in to be able to get all the players together at the same time.
"Qualifying for the World Cup would show how serious we are about this in Belgium, and we might start to get more recognition from other countries. At a national level, it would also help Belgian rugby develop financially and get more people to come play for us."
Belgium's players pictured during a training session of the Black Devils, the Belgian national rugby team, at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Sunday 02 November 2025. BELGA PHOTO BRUNO FAHY
The 22-year-old full-back, who was signed by French giants Stade Toulousain in 2024, is one of Belgian rugby's most promising talents. In the south of France, he notably rubs shoulders with France captain Antoine Dupont and the three-time Six Nations top scorer Thomas Ramos.
Having made his debut with the French champions just over a year ago, Remue will look to use his top-flight experience to help guide the Black Devils to victory in Dubai. "It definitely helps to be playing at Toulouse, it opens up a lot of doors in terms of the way I play. I'll try to bring what I can to the table here," he said.
Remue is one of several players in the team to have grown up playing rugby in Brussels, having spent four seasons in the youth team of Schaerbeek-based club Royal Kituro. A few of the other squad members currently turn out for the Brussels Devils, while the rest of the team is chiefly made up of France-based players.
"I think it makes sense that Brussels has more clubs and players, given that it's the capital", Remue points out. "A lot of foreigners go to play there, so the door is open to a lot of people. Brussels can be an important place for the development and the infrastructure of Belgian rugby."
