Guy Verhofstadt | Patrick Seeger/EPA Verhofstadt to Farage: Wait until Belgium plays England in the World Cup Former Belgian PM hits back at UKIP man’s claim that Belgium ‘is not a nation.’

The war of words over the U.K.'s exit from the European Union escalated Thursday when Guy Verhofstadt brought football into the mix.

The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator and former Belgian prime minister was furious at Nigel Farage's claim that Belgium is not a real country.

In a debate in the Parliament, UKIP MEP Farage told Charles Michel, the current Belgian prime minister, that "Belgium is not a nation, it's an artificial creation.”

“The truth is there are two parts of Belgium, they speak different languages, they dislike each other intensely, there’s no national TV station, there’s no national newspaper, Belgium is not a nation,” Farage said.

Michel thanked Farage for his advice, with tongue firmly in cheek. “Britain took his advice and look how well that is going,” the prime minister said.

Verhofstadt couldn't contain himself and later took to Twitter, saying Farage will "see how real Belgium is when we play England in the World Cup!" The two sides meet in a group stage game in Russia on June 28.

The Belgian MEP added that perhaps Farage is "still exploring German citizenship and will be rooting for 'die Mannschaft (the team).'"

In August 2016, Farage was spotted at the German Embassy in London. When asked by Buzzfeed what he was doing there, Farage said “none of your business” and hung up the phone.

Last month, Farage said two of his children have both British and German passports. He has four children, two with his estranged wife Kirsten Mehr, who is German.