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Ezekiel - June 3, 2026
Belgium have been building toward this World Cup with a quiet determination that is easy to overlook if you are not paying close attention. The golden generation that promised so much in 2018 and then fell apart in 2022 has largely moved on, but a handful of those same players are still here and they are hungry to end their international careers on their own terms rather than with the memory of Qatar hanging over them.
The squad Rudi Garcia has assembled is a genuine blend of experience and youth. De Bruyne and Lukaku carry the legacy of the previous era while Doku and Onana represent where this team is heading next. Belgium qualified unbeaten, beat the United States 5-2 in a warm-up friendly in March, and arrived at this tournament with more genuine belief than they have had heading into a World Cup for quite some time.
The group draw is favourable without being a free pass. Egypt, Iran and New Zealand all have the quality to make Belgium uncomfortable on a given day, but none of them should be causing Garcia’s side serious problems in terms of reaching the knockout rounds. Belgium are drawn in Group G of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“This is a different Belgium. We have something to prove and this squad is ready.” – Rudi Garcia
Appearances: 15 | Best finish: 3rd place (2018) | Group stage exit in 2022
French · Belgium manager since January 2025 · Former Napoli, Roma, Lyon, Marseille, Lille · Age 62
Garcia came in after Domenico Tedesco was relieved of his duties and his task was straightforward; get Belgium to the World Cup and make them competitive again as a team rather than a group of individuals. He did both without making too much noise about it. An unbeaten qualifying campaign, a Nations League promotion play-off win over Ukraine, and just one defeat in his first ten games in charge tells you everything about the environment he has created.
Garcia gives his best players the freedom to express themselves, builds a team that is hard to beat at the back, and trusts the attacking quality he has at his disposal to create and score enough goals. For a squad with Belgium’s forward options, that is exactly the right way to manage them.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Garcia uses Tielemans and Onana as a double pivot in the middle of the pitch, which gives the team defensive cover and allows De Bruyne to play freely in the number ten role without having to worry too much about what is going on behind him. Doku and Trossard provide width from the wide positions and Lukaku leads the line as the target man who holds the ball up and brings the midfield runners into play.
The full backs are given freedom to support the attack but are disciplined enough to recover quickly when Belgium lose possession. When everything clicks, the system is very hard to defend against because the combinations between De Bruyne, Doku and the wide players can unlock any defence in the world on their best day.
Midfielder · Aston Villa · Age 29 | Captain
Tielemans captains this Belgium side and his importance to the team goes well beyond what shows up in the statistics. He is the player who sets the defensive tone, keeps Belgium organised when they are out of possession and makes sure the whole team functions as a unit rather than relying too heavily on the quality of the individuals around him.
At Aston Villa he has had one of the most consistent seasons of his career and arrives at this World Cup as one of the most reliable and in-form midfielders in the Premier League. His partnership with Onana in the double pivot is the foundation on which everything else Belgium do is built.
Midfielder · Napoli · Age 34 | Belgium caps: 117 | International goals: 36
De Bruyne has earned 117 caps and scored 36 goals for Belgium, and at 34 this is almost certainly the last time the world will see him at a World Cup. He had surgery in October and only came back in March, which means his preparation for this tournament raises real questions about whether he can sustain his best level across three group games.
But when De Bruyne is fit and switched on at international level, he is still one of the most dangerous players on the pitch. His ability to find a pass in tight spaces, score from distance or pick out a runner in behind is what gives Belgium a completely different level of attacking threat from anyone else in this group.
Forward · Napoli · Age 33 | Belgium caps: 124 | International goals: 89 | Belgium’s all-time top scorer
Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time leading scorer and his record in the national shirt has always been extraordinary; since Qatar 2022 he has played 21 times for Belgium and scored 21 goals.
The concern is serious though; Garcia has openly said Lukaku is out of shape, he played just seven games for Napoli all season due to recurring muscle injuries and scored only once in nine months.
That is not a fit striker, that is a gamble. Garcia included him on the strength of his international record and his experience, but whether Lukaku can make a meaningful contribution in group stage matches is genuinely uncertain. Belgium have Dodi Lukebakio and others who can fill in if he is not ready.
Winger · Manchester City · Age 24 | Belgium caps: 41
Doku is one of the most exciting wide players in international football and the player who gives Belgium their most dangerous direct threat. He had an outstanding season at Manchester City, with important contributions throughout their FA Cup run, and arrives at this tournament as the most exciting wide player in the group by a considerable margin.
Doku’s pace when he gets in behind a defence, his willingness to take defenders on one against one and his ability to score and create from the left side makes him a constant problem for any right back who has to mark him for 90 minutes. Belgium’s best attacking moments in this group will very likely begin or end with Doku.
Belgium top Group G and they should manage it without too many scares. The squad is simply too good for these three opponents and Garcia has built a team that knows how to win matches even when not playing anywhere close to their best football, which is a quality that matters enormously in a tournament setting.
The betting angle worth looking at is Belgium to win all three group games. None of Egypt, Iran or New Zealand have the consistent quality to beat a Belgium side that is organised, motivated and has De Bruyne and Doku in the same team. The odds for a clean sweep across the group stage should be attractive enough to make it worth considering.
The bigger question is what happens once the knockout rounds begin. Belgium have the talent to go deep into this tournament, but they also have a long and well-documented history of not delivering when the pressure is at its highest. This squad feels genuinely different from the one that fell apart in Qatar, but the real proof of that can only come when they face an opponent who is capable of really hurting them.
For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane.
