Belgium’s Red Devils received some regal encouragement Thursday evening as King Philippe dropped by the team’s hotel less than 24 hours before its World Cup quarterfinal against Spain. He’s also the latest European royal to make a pilgrimage to this summer’s tournament.
According to Belgian news agency Belga, the king joined the squad for dinner before posing for a team selfie later shared on the official Belgian Red Devils X account, alongside coach Rudi Garcia. Philippe, who earlier in the tournament also joined Garcia, captain Youri Tielemans and striker Romelu Lukaku for a video call, kept his message short.
“A few days ago, my daughter and I watched you at 2 a.m. It was magnificent,” he told the players. “I have only one message for you: You must win. And I am confident that you will. But it will depend on you.” Soccer federation boss Pascale Van Damme presented the monarch with a signed Belgium shirt.
Philippe joins an increasingly crowded royal supporters’ club. Spain’s King Felipe VI, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus have all turned up to cheer on their national teams, while elected leaders have been thinner on the ground.
Portugal’s prime minister attended matches and faced blowback, while Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney recently had to fend off criticism that his own World Cup trip amounted to a taxpayer-funded “jolly.”
Belgium and Spain kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, with a place in the semifinals against France at stake.
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