Men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship preview – Belgium
Appearances: 17
Best performance: 1st (2012)
Since the tournament’s inception in 1976, Belgium have reached the podium seven times, earning gold in 2012, silver in 2010 and 2017 along with three bronze, including the two most recent editions.
This latest Belgian squad is packed with players who have already accumulated significant experience at the highest levels of European club hockey while 14 of the panel played some part in the Junior World Cup in December.
Dragons midfielder Oliver Vanderkeilen was part of the young Red Lions to pick up bronze in 2024 in Terrassa alongside him, Hugues Molenaar, Nathan Rogge and Mathis Lauwers.
The latter trio – with Mathis Dewitte – arrive with impressive credentials from powerhouse club Gantoise, all having featured during the club’s recent EHL successes (gold in 2025 and silver in 2026) and Belgium’s 2025 Junior World Cup campaign.
It will be a first Euro U21 for Maximilian Langer but the Bloemendaal player was part of Belgium’s indoor medal-winning side in 2024 and has already represented his country at two Junior World Cups.
** 24 EuroHockey U21 Championship matches from Pitch 1 in Valencia will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org with an €8.99 event pass (Click the graphic for more information)
Victor Maeyens, Jean Cloetens and goalkeeper Alexis Van Havere are another trio to featured in both the 2024 U21 Europeans and the 2025 Junior World Cup.
Meanwhile, defender Marin Van Heel helped Waterloo Ducks to the Belgian title and has an additional source of motivation: his sister Famke has publicly spoken of her ambition for the siblings to represent Belgium together at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Charlie Langendries is another WatDuck in the line-up.
Among the newest faces, Orée’s Sascha Kinnen and Dewitte the two players to make their debuts in this category. They replace the likes of Lucas Balthazar and Hugo Labouchere who have made the transition into the senior Belgian setup.
On the sideline, Belgium also benefit from a highly experienced management team. Head coach Sean Dancer brings considerable international pedigree, having previously coached the Ireland women’s team to the Tokyo Olympics.
Assistant coach Facundo Callioni adds elite-level know-how as an Olympic gold medallist with Argentina from Rio 2016. The support staff is rounded out by respected Belgian hockey figures including indoor national coach Maxime Bergez.
| # | Name | Caps | Goals | Goals |
| 3 | Oliver Vanderkeilen | 5 | 1 | Dragons |
| 4 | Guerlain Hawaux | 11 | 0 | Beerschot |
| 5 | Victor Maeyens | 9 | 0 | Uccle Sport |
| 7 | Hugues Molenaar | 6 | 0 | Gantoise |
| 8 | Nathan Rogge | 11 | 2 | Gantoise |
| 9 | Jean Cloetens | 11 | 4 | Beerschot |
| 10 | Maximilian Langer | 12 | 5 | HC BLoemendaal (NED) |
| 11 | Marin Van Heel | 6 | 1 | Waterloo Ducks |
| 13 | Alexis Van Havere (GK) | 11 | 0 | Beerschot |
| 19 | Sascha Kinnen | 0 | 0 | Oree |
| 21 | Mathis Lauwers | 11 | 5 | Gantoise |
| 22 | Jules De Cleene | 2 | 0 | Antwerp |
| 24 | Jayd Poels | 6 | 0 | KHC Dragons |
| 27 | Charly Magnant (GK) | 4 | 0 | Uccle Sport |
| 28 | Mathis Dewitte | 0 | 0 | Gantoise |
| 30 | Mathias Francois | 6 | 2 | Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles |
| 32 | Gaspard Cornez-Massant | 6 | 1 | Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles |
| 33 | Charles Langendries | 12 | 0 | Waterloo Ducks |
| Michel Kinnen | High Performance Advisor | |||
| Annemieke De Ryck | Team Manager | |||
| Maxime Bergez | Stand-In Manager | |||
| Sean Dancer | Head Coach | |||
| Facundo Callioni | Assistant Coach | |||
| Frederic Metten | Physiotherapist | |||
| Wouter Blondeel | Physical Trainer | |||
| James Lawson | Video Technician | |||
