Red Devils play practice match against Germany on 28 March

The Red Devils will play a practice match against Germany at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion on 28 March. The German Football Association DFB announced this on Friday.

As organisers, Germany is directly qualified for the 2024 European Championship and thus has to settle for friendly matches to prepare for the tournament. Shortly after Germany's World Cup elimination in the group stage, national coach Hansi Flick reported that he was keen on sparring against the Belgians. The DFB now informs that this will happen on 28 March in Cologne.

So far, Belgium and Germany (including West Germany) have faced each other 25 times, with 20 German victories, one draw and four wins for the Red Devils. The most recent encounter occurred more than a decade ago, in October 2011, when the Germans won 3-1 in Düsseldorf in a qualifier for the 2012 European Championship. That was the last major tournament the Red Devils missed.

Four days before the match against Germany, the Red Devils start their EURO2024 qualifiers with an away game against Sweden. The Belgian Football Federation said goodbye to Roberto Martinez after the World Cup in Qatar, who has since become the national coach of Portugal. The federation's TaskForce is looking at how to fill the vacancies of national coach and technical director, as the Spaniard held both positions.

^{© BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR}