Belgium manager, Rudi Garcia, has named Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois in his 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Lukaku was included despite limited action for Napoli this season due to injury. The 33-year-old striker has made only seven substitute appearances in the 2025-26 campaign after spending the past two months in Belgium recovering from a hamstring problem.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton forward remains Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances. His inclusion means he is set for a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance alongside experienced players such as De Bruyne, Courtois and Axel Witsel.
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Garcia also handed a call-up to Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo after the 21-year-old recently pledged his international future to Belgium. Fernandez-Pardo, born in Brussels to Italian and Spanish parents, had represented Belgium at the youth level before switching allegiance to Spain in 2025, although he never featured for the Spanish senior team.
The youngster was preferred to Lois Openda, who has struggled for regular playing time at Juventus this season. Sporting defender Zeno Debast was also included despite concerns over an injury sustained in training.
Belgium will begin their Group G campaign against Egypt before facing Iran and New Zealand in matches to be played across the United States and Canada.
Belgium World Cup squad
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)
