​Belgium’s World Cup quarterfinal against Spain in Los Angeles followed a commanding 4-1 defeat of the United States in the round of 16, sending the Red Devils into the final eight. Before kickoff, as is customary, the national anthem La Brabançonne is played—one of the more singular anthems in world football, notable for existing in three official language versions for a nation with three official tongues. Here is what the anthem says, who wrote it, and the history behind it.
Belgium’s officially recognized anthem text consists of a single verse, the same across all three language renditions. When rendered into English, it reads: O beloved Belgium, sacred land of our fathers, Our heart and soul are dedicated to you. Our strength and the blood of our veins we offer, Be our goal, in work and battle. Prosper, O country, in unbreakable unity, Always be yourself and free. Trust in the word that, undaunted, you can speak: For King, for Freedom and for Law. The final line—“For King, for Freedom and for Law”—is Belgium’s national motto, expressed in French as “Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté.”
Belgium is a federal state with three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. The anthem mirrors this linguistic diversity. It is known as La Brabançonne in French, De Brabançonne in Dutch, and Das Lied von Brabant in German, with each language possessing its own officially sanctioned lyrics. On major national occasions, including Belgian National Day on July 21, it has become customary to perform a short, mixed version that switches between Dutch, French, and German line by line, rather than reciting a single language in full—a subtle nod to the country’s federal structure and multi-language reality.
The anthem’s origins trace back to September 1830, amid the Belgian Revolution that sparked the drive for independence from the Netherlands. According to the traditional account, the lyrics were penned by a young revolutionary and actor who used the pen name “Jenneval,” the real name of Alexandre Dechet. He was killed in the war of independence shortly after composing the words. The music, meanwhile, was composed separately by François van Campenhout, drawing on the melody of an earlier French song. The first public performance of the anthem, with music, occurred later in September 1830.
Belgium did not formally adopt the song and its music as the national anthem until 1860, some thirty years after the revolution that inspired it. Even then, the piece underwent changes: then-prime minister Charles Rogier revised the lyrics to remove lines that directly attacked the Dutch royal House of Orange, effectively softening what had originally been a piece of revolutionary protest music into a more conventional patriotic anthem better suited to a unified national identity and governance.