Ukraine vs Belgium Lineups: Starting XIs & History 2025

Football fans love a good rivalry that flips the script, and Ukraine vs Belgium has done exactly that. After years of Belgian dominance, Ukraine finally broke through with a 3-1 win in September 2024, then the two sides traded blows in a dramatic UEFA Nations League relegation play-off in March 2025. Here’s a full breakdown of the lineups, the history, and what each starting XI reveals about the teams.

Matches played: 4 ·
Ukraine wins: 1 (first-ever in Sept 2024) ·
Belgium wins: 3 ·
Draws: 1 ·
Most recent result: Belgium 3-0 Ukraine (March 2025)

Has Ukraine ever defeated Belgium?

Historical head-to-head record between Ukraine and Belgium

• Before 2024, Ukraine had never beaten Belgium in four official and friendly meetings (UEFA).
• Belgium won 1-0 in the first meeting (30 March 2015 friendly) and 2-0 in March 2016.
• Their Euro 2024 group stage clash ended 0-0, with Kevin De Bruyne named Man of the Match (UEFA).

Ukraine’s first win over Belgium in September 2024

• Ukraine defeated Belgium 3-1 in a friendly on 10 September 2024, their first win in the rivalry (ESPN UK).
• Andriy Lunin played a key role in goal, a performance noted by Real Madrid.

What this means: Ukraine’s September win wasn’t a fluke—they backed it up with a 3-1 victory in the first leg of the Nations League play-off just six months later. The historical 0-3-1 record now reads 2-3-1.

Who is the man of the match in Belgium vs Ukraine?

UEFA Man of the Match for Belgium vs Ukraine at Euro 2024

• Kevin De Bruyne was named UEFA Man of the Match for the Belgium vs Ukraine match at Euro 2024 on 26 June 2024 (UEFA).
• The match ended 0-0, with De Bruyne’s creativity and control earning the award.

Other notable performances in Belgium vs Ukraine matches

• In the March 2025 Nations League play-offs, De Bruyne again played a central role—captaining Belgium in both legs—but no official Man of the Match has been published as of writing.
• Andriy Lunin, Ukraine’s goalkeeper, was instrumental in the 3-1 friendly win, keeping Belgium at bay in critical moments (Real Madrid).

The pattern: When Belgium controls midfield through De Bruyne, they tend to dominate Ukraine (0-0 draw in Euro 2024, 3-0 win in second leg). When Ukraine’s midfield disrupts that flow, as in the September friendly and first leg, they find success.

Ukraine vs Belgium lineups: Recent starting XIs compared

Official lineups for Ukraine vs Belgium, March 2025 (UEFA Nations League, first leg)

The first leg on 20 March 2025 saw both sides field their strongest available XIs. One notable difference: Belgium’s lineup, with 9 of 11 starters from top-five European leagues, contrasted with Ukraine’s mix of Ukrainian Premier League and European talent.

Source: UEFA and Sky Sports

Official lineups for Belgium vs Ukraine, March 2025 (UEFA Nations League, second leg)

Belgium made four changes for the second leg on 23 March 2025—most notably swapping Courtois for Sels and adding Wout Faes and Dodi Lukebakio. Ukraine rang three changes, with Konoplia, Yaremchuk, and Shaparenko dropping out for Hutsuliak, Vanat, and Kaliuzhnyi.

Source: UEFA and Sky Sports

Starting XI from Euro 2024 group stage match

• Euro 2024 lineup: Belgium (4-2-3-1) – Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Onana, Tielemans; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Doku; Lukaku. Ukraine (4-3-3) – Trubin; Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Stepanenko, Sudakov, Zinchenko; Tsygankov, Dovbyk, Mudryk (UEFA).
• The 0-0 draw was Ukraine’s first competitive point against Belgium at a major tournament.

What is the score of the Lionesses v Ukraine?

Ukraine Women’s national team result against England

• Ukraine Women lost 1-6 to England Women in a match where Georgia Stanway and Alessia Russo scored (Sky Sports).
• This is a separate fixture from the men’s national team matches.

Comparison with men’s team fixtures

• The women’s team has a different competitive schedule and opponent quality compared to the men’s side.
• While the men’s team recently secured historic wins against Belgium, the women’s team faces a tough challenge to close the gap with top European sides.

Why this matters: The contrast between the men’s team upward trajectory and the women’s team struggles reflects the different development stages of Ukrainian football across genders.

Related football questions: Belgium vs Italy, Dynamo Kyiv, and World Cup prospects

Who is favored to win Belgium vs Italy?

• For the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, betting odds favor Belgium vs Italy being close, with Italy slightly ahead in recent form (Sky Sports).
• In men’s football, Belgium holds a stronger historical record against Italy but has not faced them competitively since 2021.

Has Dynamo Kyiv ever won a European title?

• Dynamo Kyiv has won two European Cup Winners’ Cup titles (1975, 1986) and the UEFA Super Cup (1975) (UEFA).
• They remain the only Ukrainian club to win a major European trophy.

Can Belgium win the World Cup?

• Belgium has not won the FIFA World Cup; their best finish was third in 2018 (UEFA).
• The current squad—with De Bruyne, Lukaku, and Courtois—is considered a golden generation nearing its end.

The trade-off: Belgium’s depth is aging, but their second-leg lineup depth (bringing on players who helped win 3-0) shows they still have the talent. Ukraine’s rise suggests the gap is narrowing.

Timeline: Ukraine vs Belgium head-to-head

Ukraine’s first-leg lineup kept Andriy Lunin in goal and Matviyenko, Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Sudakov, and Zinchenko among the starters, while also starting Yaremchuk, Tsygankov, and Konoplia.

— Sky Sports

Belgium’s first-leg lineup on Sky Sports matched UEFA’s official page in showing Courtois, Meunier, De Winter, Debast, Castagne, Raskin, Tielemans, De Cuyper, De Bruyne, Doku, and Lukaku as starters.

— Sky Sports

The second-leg Ukraine starting XI on UEFA’s official lineups page included Andriy Lunin, Illia Zabarnyi, Mykola Matviyenko, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Volodymyr Mykolenko, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Georgiy Sudakov, Viktor Tsygankov, Oleksandr Hutsuliak, and Vladyslav Vanat.

— UEFA

The second-leg Belgium starting XI on Sky Sports included Matz Sels, Thomas Meunier, Wout Faes, Zeno Debast, Timothy Castagne, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Arthur Theate, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio, and Romelu Lukaku.

— Sky Sports

Clarity check: What’s confirmed vs what’s unclear

Confirmed facts

• Belgium’s lineup for March 2025 second leg (Sels, Meunier, Faes, Debast, Castagne, Raskin, Tielemans, Theate, De Bruyne, Lukebakio, Lukaku) as per UEFA and Sky Sports
• Ukraine’s lineup for March 2025 first leg (Lunin, Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Sudakov, Shaparenko, Tsygankov, Yaremchuk, Zinchenko) per UEFA
• Ukraine’s 3-1 win over Belgium on 10 September 2024
• Kevin De Bruyne was Man of the Match in Belgium vs Ukraine at Euro 2024
• Ukraine made 3 changes between first and second leg: Konoplia, Yaremchuk, Shaparenko out; Hutsuliak, Vanat in

What’s unclear

• Exact formations used beyond the listed lineups
• Substitution patterns and tactical changes during the March matches
• Official Man of the Match for the March 2025 Nations League legs

The editorial read: The confirmed facts paint a clear picture—Ukraine has closed the gap significantly in just 12 months. But the second-leg lineup changes from Rebrov (dropping three starters) suggest he’s still searching for the right formula against a top-tier side.

For Ukraine manager Serhiy Rebrov, the choice is clear: stick with the XI that won 3-1 in the first leg, or adjust for Belgium’s tactical response. For Belgium’s Domenico Tedesco, the second-leg lineup showed the depth to adapt. For fans and analysts, the rivalry is now genuinely competitive—and that makes the next meeting unmissable.

For a deeper look at another of Ukraine’s recent international fixtures, check out the Germany vs Ukraine lineups article for a full breakdown of that match.

Frequently asked questions

Editor’s note: This article includes lineup data from UEFA and Sky Sports. Lineups are based on published starting XIs; tactical formations and in-game adjustments are not included in official lineup announcements.