When Belgium's Red Lions take the field at Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre (Rue Emile Lacrosse 2, 1300 Wavre, Belgium) for their opening Pool B match, the noise from 10,000 Belgian supporters — many draped in the red-black-gold of the national flag — will be unlike anything the players have experienced in a neutral World Cup venue. Belgium won this same World Cup in 2018 at Bhubaneswar. Now, as co-hosts playing on home turf, ranked FIH World #2, and led by the tournament's most lethal drag-flicker Alexander Hendrickx, the Red Lions are legitimate title contenders with a structural advantage that no away side can fully replicate.
Alexander Hendrickx — the weapon that makes Belgium dangerous in every match
Alexander Hendrickx (Club HC Leuven, 178 international caps) is not just Belgium's best player — he is the most decorated penalty corner specialist of his generation. His signature low, late drag-flick, timed to maximize the goalkeeper's reaction-time deficit, has produced 68 international penalty corner goals. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Hendrickx scored 14 tournament goals — 10 from penalty corners. His pre-tournament camp form at Wilrijkse Plein in Antwerp (2020 postal area) showed he is converting at an 84% rate in training set-pieces. For Pool B opponents Germany, France, and Malaysia, every foul in the defensive 23 is a potential 1-0 goal. At Belfius Arena's Desso GrassMaster turf, Hendrickx's flat-angle approach suits the surface perfectly.
Arthur Van Doren and Tom Boon — Belgium's leadership backbone
Arthur Van Doren (FIH World Player of the Year 2018 and 2019, 176 caps) captains the squad from the right defensive position — an unusual captain's role that reflects his influence on Belgium's defensive shape and out-ball distribution. His switch-play passing to Tom Boon on the left attacking channel is Belgium's primary open-play attacking trigger. Tom Boon (Club de Campo Madrid, 164 caps) — despite a hamstring concern that kept him from August 5 warm-up duties — has been cleared to play. Boon's positioning and finishing intelligence inside the 25-metre zone make him Hendrickx's most dangerous foil.
Belfius Hockey Arena — what makes it a home advantage factor?
The Belfius Hockey Arena (1300 Wavre) has a 10,000-capacity sold-out crowd for every Pool B match. Unlike many neutral World Cup venues, this crowd speaks one language in unison — French and Dutch-Belgian hockey chants that Belgian players have grown up hearing. The venue's noise reverberation characteristics — due to its partially enclosed stand configuration — create a sound pressure during penalty corners that visiting goalkeepers report as measurably disorienting. Belgium's home record under coach Michel van den Heuvel: 14 wins from 15 home internationals in 2024–25. The venue suits them. Pool B schedule, Belgium full schedule, Belfius Arena guide, and Germany vs Belgium preview.
Belgium title prediction
Belgium's realistic path: Win Pool B (likely beating Germany in the key match on August 18), QF vs a Pool C team, SF against Netherlands (the probable final destination of both co-hosts), and the August 30 Final. Rating: 9.2/10 — Co-favourites with Netherlands. If Hendrickx is on song and Van Doren leads a resolute defensive display against Germany in Pool B, Belgium can absolutely win HWC 2026. Prediction: Belgium reach the Final, lose narrowly to Netherlands 1–3.