Belgium Name World Cup Squad With Lukaku and De Bruyne Leading

With less than a month remaining for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Belgium has finally announced its 26-man squad for the tournament. Despite an ageing lineup, head coach Rudi Garcia has named and recalled multiple names from the golden generation of 2018.

With Group G consisting of powerhouses like Egypt and Iran alongside New Zealand, the Red Devils won't have an easy campaign this time. This will be the national side's fifteenth World Cup, and after a group stage exit in 2022, the French coach looks for redemption this time.

The Stars Garcia Is Building Around

Romelu Lukaku headlined the forward selections as Belgium's all-time top scorer with 89 international goals. The Napoli striker will be playing in his fourth World Cup, and at 33, this figures to be his last opportunity to make a major tournament mark. 

He will be joined in the attack by Jeremy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard, Dodi Lukebakio, and Diego Moreira. Kevin De Bruyne remains the creative engine despite now playing at Napoli following his Manchester City departure. 

The veteran midfielder was Belgium's top scorer during qualification with six goals across eight matches and will be expected to carry the same creative burden throughout the tournament. Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Nicolas Raskin, and Axel Witsel complete the midfield selections.

Thibaut Courtois returns in goal after his injury-plagued 2022 campaign rendered him unavailable for Qatar. The Real Madrid goalkeeper brings genuine world-class quality between the posts and gives Belgium a significant advantage in knockout scenarios.

Belgium's Path Through Group G

Garcia's side faces Egypt first on June 15 in Seattle before travelling to Inglewood to face Iran on June 21. Their final group match against New Zealand takes place in Vancouver on June 26. 

On paper, Group G represents a manageable path to the knockout stages, with Belgium widely expected to advance comfortably alongside Egypt. The qualification campaign was tighter than many expected. Belgium topped their group ahead of Wales, who finished just two points behind the Red Devils. 

The decisive moment came in a 7-0 demolition of Liechtenstein in Liège on November 18, 2025, which confirmed their place in the tournament. The team has what it takes to knock out giants, as they showed when they eliminated Brazil 2-1 from the quarter-finals of the 2018 tournament in Russia.

Full Squad

Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lammens, Penders

Defenders: Castagne, Debast, De Cuyper, De Winter, Mechele, Meunier, Ngoy, Seys, Theate. 

Midfielders: De Bruyne, Onana, Raskin, Tielemans, Vanaken, Witsel. 

Forwards: De Ketelaere, Doku, Fernandez-Pardo, Lukaku, Lukebakio, Moreira, Saelemaekers, Trossard.