Belgium will be looking to leave their Golden Generation tag behind as they announce a new-look squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Rudi Garcia will lead his side to North America this summer and his 26-man squad has a good mix of youth and experience as Belgium hope to improve on the semi-final appearance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was a disappointing group stage exit in 2022 and the pressure will be on the Red Devils to make a deep run in the tournament.
There are plenty of well-known names in the Belgian squad and Premier League representation comes in the form of Senne Lammens, Timothy Castagne, Maxim De Cuyper, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku.
- Bet £10 get £30
- Excellent Football Betting Options
- Extensive Bet-Builder
- Multi-Award Winning Bookmaker
New customers can sign up using bonus code SQUAWKA365, bet £10 and get £30 in Free Bets. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration Required. This code is for marketing and tracking purposes only. #Ad.
Belgium World Cup 2026 squad
| Squad number | Player | Position | Domestic club | International caps | International goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thibaut Courtois | GK | Real Madrid (Spain) | 107 | 0 |
| 12 | Senne Lammens | GK | Manchester United (England) | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Mike Penders | GK | Strasbourg (France) | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Thomas Meunier | DF | Lille (France) | 78 | 10 |
| 21 | Timothy Castagne | DF | Fulham (England) | 62 | 2 |
| 3 | Arthur Theate | DF | Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) | 32 | 1 |
| 2 | Zeno Debast | DF | Sporting CP (Portugal) | 26 | 1 |
| 5 | Maxim De Cuyper | DF | Brighton (England) | 17 | 4 |
| 4 | Brandon Mechele | DF | Club Brugge (Belgium) | 7 | 1 |
| 16 | Koni De Winter | DF | Milan (Italy) | 7 | 0 |
| 18 | Joaquin Seys | DF | Club Brugge (Belgium) | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | Nathan Ngoy | DF | Lille (France) | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | Axel Witsel | MF | Girona (Spain) | 136 | 12 |
| 7 | Kevin De Bruyne | MF | Napoli (Italy) | 117 | 36 |
| 8 | Youri Tielemans | MF | Aston Villa (England) | 83 | 12 |
| 20 | Hans Vanaken | MF | Club Brugge (Belgium) | 32 | 7 |
| 17 | Charles De Ketelaere | MF | Atalanta (Italy) | 28 | 5 |
| 24 | Amadou Onana | MF | Aston Villa (England) | 27 | 1 |
| 23 | Nicolas Raskin | MF | Rangers (Scotland) | 11 | 1 |
| 19 | Diego Moreira | MF | Strasbourg (France) | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | Romelu Lukaku | FW | Napoli (Italy) | 124 | 89 |
| 10 | Leandro Trossard | FW | Arsenal (England) | 50 | 11 |
| 11 | Jeremy Doku | FW | Manchester City (England) | 41 | 7 |
| 14 | Dodi Lukebakio | FW | Benfica (Portugal) | 29 | 5 |
| 22 | Alexis Saelemaekers | FW | Milan (Italy) | 23 | 2 |
| 26 | Matias Fernandez-Pardo | FW | Lille (France) | 0 | 0 |
Gone is the era of the Golden Generation but there is still plenty of quality in the Belgian squad. It’s certainly an aging squad though, with seven players aged 33 or over. There’s plenty of youth with the likes of Jeremy Doku and Amadou Onana still to reach their peak years.
Belgium aren’t in the elite level when it comes to favourites to win the tournament but it’s not outside the realms of possibility that they will go on a good run. They certainly possess more than enough quality to cause the majority of teams a problem and a win on the grandest stage would erase any lingering thoughts about the failures of 2022.
- Read more: Belgium World Cup 2026 odds
Three players to look out for this summer
Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
Jeremy Doku has been in sensational form for Man City over recent months, almost single-handedly keeping his side in the Premier League title race. If he can translate that form to the international stage, then Belgium have a really good chance of making waves in North America.
Doku is likely to play off the left for the Red Devils and will look to use his pace and trickery to create chances, both for his teammates and himself. In Romelu Lukaku, he has an elite level striker to feed off him, which could be Belgium’s bet hope of success this summer.
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
If Doku is Belgium’s biggest asset in attack, Thibaut Courtois is their biggest hope in defence. The Real Madrid stopper has affirmed his place as one of, if not the best, goalkeeper in world football this season and his performances will be pivotal to Belgium’s success at the World Cup.
The defence in front of him doesn’t look the strongest, which means that Courtois will need to be at his very best in order to keep his side competitive, especially deeper into the knockout stages where the level of opposition will rise.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille)
The only player in the Belgium squad who is yet to win a cap is Matias Fernandez-Pardo, the 21-year-old Lille attacker. His early season form was steady for the French side but he’s really stepped it up in recent weeks, scoring five goals in a seven game period to pull his side back into the Champions League places.
Fernandez-Pardo isn’t likely to start for his nation but his contribution off the bench could be invaluable and he’s regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the French league. He’s capable of playing on either side of the attack and his ability to link up play and attack space make him a big threat in transition.
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets with Bet365
Not signed up to bet365 yet? Here's how to claim one of the best bookmaker welcome offers around...
- Open an account (here's a link)
- Make a qualifying deposit of between £5* and £10*
- Claim the offer to receive three times your deposit in 'Free Bets'.
- To release your 'Free Bets', place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit and allow those bets to settle.
- Your 'Free Bets' will become available shortly after your qualifying bets have settled
- To use your 'Free Bets', select 'Use bet credits' in the bet slip.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
Belgium World Cup 2026 fixtures
Read more:
