Belgium coach Rudi Garcia has named his 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, where the Red Devils will tackle Egypt, IR Iran and New Zealand in Group G.
The Red Devils’ experienced star names – Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel and Romelu Lukaku – are all part of the squad.
Lukaku, who is Belgium’s all-time leading goalscorer with 89 goals from 124 caps, has been given the nod despite a season hampered by injuries with Napoli.
Having been absent from the Belgium squad for a year, his challenge will be to regain his form and clinical finishing in front of goal during the tournament.
While Garcia has selected Strasbourg’s Mike Penders to back up Courtois and Senne Lammens in goal, Penders is not the only Ligue 1 player to have caught the eye at the squad announcement.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who had never been called up before, will also be travelling to the World Cup. Having impressed for Lille this season, the forward has chosen to represent Belgium, having also been eligible to play for Spain.
Belgium’s World Cup 2026 squad
Goalkeepers
Thibaut Courtois
Senne Lammens
Mike Penders
Defenders
Timothy Castagne
Zeno Debast
Maxim De Cuyper
Koni De Winter
Brandon Mechele
Thomas Meunier
Nathan Ngoy
Joaquin Seys
Arthur Theate
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne
Amadou Onana
Nicolas Raskin
Youri Tielemans
Hans Vanaken
Axel Witsel
Forwards
Charles De Ketelaere
Jeremy Doku
Matias Fernandez-Pardo
Romelu Lukaku
Dodi Lukebakio
Diego Moreira
Alexis Saelemekars
Leandro Trossard
All squads are provisional until the final list of 26 players is announced by FIFA, following their submission by participating teams, on 2 June.
Garcia targets World Cup glory for Belgium
“The concept of team spirit was important; we needed to stick with a squad that had performed well in the qualifiers, taking into account how the players complement each other and striking a balance between experience and youth,” Garcia told a press conference where the squad was announced.
“This squad is built around playing well and getting on well together. We need to distinguish between our objective and our ambition. Ambition knows no bounds; we all dream of going all the way.
“The objective is simply to finish top of the group and progress from the group stage; we’ll then see who we’re drawn against in the next rounds. We’re not favourites, but I prefer this underdog position, which doesn’t stand in the way of ambition.”
