Hockey in Belgium

Belgian hockey has experienced the most spectacular rise of any European hockey country over the past two decades. The Royal Belgian Hockey Federation coordinates a competition structure in which traditional top clubs such as Royal Léopold, Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles, Dragons, Waterloo Ducks and La Gantoise meet weekly in the Belgian Hockey League. The heart of Belgian hockey lies in and around Brussels and Antwerp, with clubs that combine professional top-sport infrastructure with a distinctive social tradition.

What systemically sets Belgium apart is the BeGold programme, launched in the 2000s by the King Baudouin Foundation in cooperation with the hockey federation. The programme identifies talent at a young age and offers combined top-sport and study tracks with concentrated training in Brussels. BeGold is the direct cause of the Red Lions' Golden Generation, which won Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 and the world title in 2018. The same structure now forms the foundation on which the Red Panthers have grown from rank thirteen to the global top five.

Head coach Rein van Eijk, who took over in 2024 from Raoul Ehren, builds on a legacy of Dutch influence. Ehren led the Red Panthers between 2020 and 2024 to a historic climb in the world ranking. His move to the Netherlands put pressure on the relationship between the two federations, but tactically much of his work is preserved: rapid transitions, a high press and a developed penalty-corner structure. Van Eijk, previously U21 world champion with the German youth team, adds his own emphasis on vertical transition hockey. As World Cup co-host, Belgium plays all its pool matches in the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre.