Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Belgium's World Cup squad features players spread across Europe's elite leagues, marking a shift in the team's club soccer landscape.
- While several stars from the golden generation remain, younger talents are emerging, signaling a potential transition in the team's dynamics.
- The next major tests for Rudi Garcia's side come against Spain, with the semi-finals at SoFi Stadium looming as a pivotal moment for the Red Devils.
Despite not landing the major trophy they so desperately crave, not yet anyway, it has still be a golden period for Belgian football. Between 2002 and 2014, the Red Devils failed to qualify for five successive World Cups or European Championships. This summer though is the seventh consecutive major tournament to feature Belgium, very much an ever-present fixture.
During the second half of the 2010s, Belgium's golden generation meant that they were considered genuine contenders to win the biggest trophies, coming closest in 2018, ousted by France in the World Cup semifinals in Saint Petersburg. While the Red Devils may not appear as strong as they once were, Rudi Garcia has led them to a fourth World Cup quarter-final, after '86, 2014 and 2018. Thus, it may perhaps have gone under the radar quite how much talent is in this squad.
Club teams for every player on the Belgium World Cup roster
Players | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
Thibaut Courtois | GK | Real Madrid (La Liga) |
Senne Lammens | GK | Manchester United (Premier League) |
Mike Penders | GK | Strasbourg (Ligue 1) |
Thomas Meunier | RB | LOSC Lille (Ligue 1) |
Timothy Castagne | RB | Fulham (Premier League) |
Nathan Ngoy | CB | LOSC Lille (Ligue 1) |
Brandon Mechele | CB | Club Brugge (Belgian Pro League) |
Arthur Theate | CB | Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga) |
Zeno Debast | CB | Sporting CP (Primeira Liga) |
Koni De Winter | CB | AC Milan (Serie A) |
Joaquin Seys | LB | Club Brugge (Belgian Pro League) |
Maxim De Cuyper | LB | Brighton (Premier League) |
Axel Witsel | CDM | Girona (La Liga) |
Amadou Onana | CM | Aston Villa (Premier League) |
Youri Tielemans | CM | Aston Villa (Premier League) |
Nicolas Raskin | CM | Rangers (Scottish Premiership) |
Diego Moreira Jr | LM | Strasbourg (Ligue 1) |
Hans Vanaken | CM | Club Brugge (Belgian Pro League) |
Kevin De Bruyne | CAM | Napoli (Manchester City) |
Alexis Saelemaekers | RM | AC Milan (Serie A) |
Dodi Lukébakio | RW | Benfica (Primeira Liga) |
Leandro Trossard | LW | Arsenal (Premier League) |
Jérémy Doku | LW | Manchester City (Premier League) |
Matías Fernández-Pardo | CF | Lille (Ligue 1) |
Charles De Ketelaere | CF | Atalanta (Serie A) |
Romelu Lukaku | ST | Napoli (Serie A) |
The entirety of Belgium's 26-player World Cup squad ply their trade in one of Europe's highest-rated leagues. This is not the mention Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Malick Fofana (Olympique Lyonnais), Michy Batshuayi (Eintracht Frankfurt) or Loïs Openda (Juventus) who were excluded from the roster.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has 114 caps to his name, has been one of the very best players in his position anywhere in the world for many years, winning 12 major honors with Real Madrid. Well, his deputy this summer, a decade his junior, is Senne Lammens, who strongly impressed during his first season at Manchester United, but has only played twice for Belgium so far.
Similar to Courtois, the Red Devils' key outfield players, largely, remain older figures. Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, all in their 30s, are the other remaining members of the golden generation, while Premier League title winner Leandro Trossard is set to depart Arsenal for Beşiktaş.
There are though some younger players coming through. The best of the bunch is certainly 24 year old Jérémy Doku, who certainly established himself as one of most dangerous wingers on the planet at Manchester City last season. He though is not the only Belgian with a high valuation.
Top transfer market value on the Belgium World Cup roster
Player | Transfer value |
|---|---|
Jérémy Doku | $86 million |
Amadou Onana | $52 million |
Senne Lammens | $40 million |
Matías Fernández-Pardo | $40 million |
Charles De Ketelaere | $34 million |
Youri Tielemans | $34 million |
Zeno Debast | $32 million |
Mike Penders | $29 million |
Nathan Ngoy | $29 million |
Diego Moreira Jr | $29 million |
Note: Transfer value estimates are courtesy of Transfermarkt.
Of course, Belgium are still very much involved in this World Cup, facing Spain at SoFi on Friday for a place in the semi-finals. Looking further forward though, perhaps without De Bruyne, Lukaku and others, it'll be fascinating to see how Belgium look in the UEFA Nations League later this year, as well as at Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland. A new recruit they are especially excited about is Matías Fernández-Prado, who only switched his international allegiance from Spain as recently as May, debuting for Belgium in a pre-tournament friendly against Croatia at Stadion Rujevica in Rijeka.
Thus, the future appears bright for Belgium, despite the fact they do not boast as many high-profile players as they once did. In the very immediate future, Garcia's team will be looking to eliminate the reigning European champions and reach a World Cup semi-final in LA on Friday.
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