Belgium is in Group G of the World Cup alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand. The team’s debut will be on June 15th, against the Egyptians.
The Belgian national team coach, Rudi Garcia, announced this Friday (15) the list of 26 players called up for the 2026 World Cup (June 11th to July 19th), with the presence of veterans Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
A Belgium is in Group G of the World Cup alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand. The team’s debut will be on June 15th, against the Egyptians.
No World Cup 2022, in Qatar, the ‘Red Devils’ were eliminated in the first phase, four years after the historic third place in the Russian Cup.
Check those selected
Goalkeepers
- Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid/ESP);
- Sanne Lammens (Manchester United/ING);
- Mike Penders (Strasbourg/FRA)
Defenders
- Timothy Castagne (Fulham/ING);
- Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon/POR);
- Kony De Winter (Milan/ITA);
- Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge/BEL);
- Thomas Meunier (Lille/FRA);
- Nathan Ngoy (Lille/FRA);
- Joachim Seys (Club Brugge/BEL);
- Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt/ALE);
- Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton/ING)
Midfielders
- Kevin De Bruyne (Naples/ITA);
- Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa/ING);
- Amadou Onana (Aston Villa/ING);
- Nicolas Raskin (Rangers/ESC);
- Axel Witsel (Girona/ESP);
- Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge/BEL)
Attackers
- Romelu Lukaku (Napoli/ITA);
- Jeremy Doku (Manchester City/ING);
- Leandro Trossard (Arsenal/ING);
- Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta/ITA);
- Diego Moreira (Estrasbourg/FRA);
- Matías Fernández-Pardo (Lille/FRA);
- Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica/POR);
- Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan/ITA)
Why was Lukaku called up?
Lukaku is the star of the Belgian national team │EFE/EPA/JULIEN WARNAND
Despite his quality, Lukaku’s call-up came as a surprise to some, as the athlete is “currently out of shape”. Experiencing physical problems and space at his club, Napoli, Lukaku (33 years old) has only played 69 minutes on the field since the beginning of the year.
“Romelu is recovered, but he has no rhythm in the game and I’m not sure he can start games. But he is our best striker, the greatest scorer in Belgium’s history”, with 89 goals in 124 games, Garcia explained at a press conference.
“We have five weeks to get him in shape, so that, little by little, we can see him capable of helping the team”, added the coach of the ‘Red Devils’.
*With information from AFP
