Belgium will head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America hoping experienced leaders such as Romelu Lukaku can guide a changing squad through a transitional period following the decline of their celebrated “Golden Generation”.
Eight years after finishing third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Belgium national football team arrive at the tournament with a blend of established stars and emerging talent, but also lingering questions about whether the new group can replicate past achievements.
The squad, ranked ninth in the world as of June 2026, is now under the guidance of head coach Rudi Garcia, who took charge in 2025 following the departures of previous managers Roberto Martínez and Domenico Tedesco.
Garcia has been credited with restoring stability to the national team and will be leading Belgium into his first major tournament in charge. The Frenchman, who has managed clubs including Lille, Roma, Marseille, Lyon and Napoli, brings extensive top-level experience to the role, having won domestic honours in France and reached European semi-finals during his career.
Belgium secured their place at the tournament by topping Group J in European qualifying, collecting 18 points from eight matches ahead of Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Despite the successful qualification campaign, questions remain over whether Belgium’s current squad has the same defensive solidity and consistency that defined earlier generations.
A number of key figures from the team’s previous peak have now retired, been affected by injuries, or are no longer performing at their highest level. However, several experienced players remain central to the squad, including Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois.
Head Coach: Rudi Garcia
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Racing Strasbourg).
Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting), Maxim de Cuyper (Brighton), Koni de Winter (AC Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt).
Midfielders: Kevin de Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona).
Forwards: Charles de Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).
Garcia is expected to rely heavily on Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 89 international goals, who remains the focal point of the team’s attack. Despite injury setbacks at club level, Lukaku continues to be regarded as Belgium’s most decisive player.
With De Bruyne supplying creativity from midfield, Belgium will look to combine experience and attacking power as they prepare for their group-stage fixtures.
They begin their campaign against Egypt on June 15 at 7pm, followed by matches against Iran on June 21 and New Zealand on June 27. Based on history and rankings, Belgium will be expected to progress if they perform to their potential.
The team has previously faced Egypt twice, winning one and losing one, while they have never played either Iran or New Zealand in competitive fixtures.
Belgium’s best World Cup performance remains their third-place finish in 2018, but expectations remain high that this new squad can still compete at an advanced stage if key players remain fit and influential throughout the tournament.
