Belgium World Cup 2026: Can Golden boys roll back the years?

Despite winning their first group game, Belgium were unceremoniously dumped out of the 2022 World Cup at the group stage after losing to Morocco and drawing with Croatia. Four points would likely be enough to take them through in this 48-team World Cup, but still, they will want to put in a much better display this time around. 

Below you can find my Belgium World Cup preview, as I assess their squad and their chances in North America. 

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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), Nico 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).

Belgium have looked improved since Rudi Garcia took the job in January 2025, and the pressure the Golden Generation once carried has now dissipated. Some leftover stars remain such as Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, but they are completed by some exciting in-form stars, such as Jeremy Doku and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard.

The experienced defence has now gone, with Arthur Theate now arguably the pick of the bunch at the back, although Premier League experience will be called upon in the form of Timothy Castagne and Maxim de Cuyper. My favourite pick of the entire World Cup though may be 37-year-old Axel Witsel, who is in ahead of Romeo Lavia and Mandela Keita. 

World Cup Odds

They did win their qualification group to make it to the World Cup, although two high-scoring wins against Wales (4-3 and 4-2), could have gone either way. The attack is still looking strong, even though Mika Godts has been left at home after an astonishing season with Ajax.

I think Belgium will be a really intriguing side to watch at this tournament, and they are at risk of a bit of a shock elimination further down the line. However, they have been handed a simple group on paper that they should win, and that should all be relatively straightforward. 

Group G Fixtures:

15 June 1pm local (8pm BST) - vs Egypt (Seattle)

21 June 1pm local (8pm BST) - vs Iran (Los Angeles)

27 June 9pm local (28 June 4am BST) - vs New Zealand (Vancouver)

Key Player: Kevin de Bruyne

I had written a bit about Jeremy Doku in the Group G preview, and I think he will be crucial for Belgium having kicked on for Manchester City. However, I cannot ignore De Bruyne for this Belgium side. 

He remains the star, is now at Napoli and will be crucial in pulling the strings in midfield. I’m hopeful that the Aston Villa duo of Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans will join him in midfield, allowing the former Manchester City star to play with complete freedom.

His fitness is the only real concern. A hamstring injury ruled him out for over four months this term, but I’m hoping that spell on the sidelines will have kept him fresh for the summer. With Lukaku up top and KDB pulling the strings, it may feel like 2018 all over again for Belgium. One last dance.

Football Odds

Prediction: Quarter-finals

They should win the group and that means Belgium may be presented with a couple of knockout ties that they will be favourites for. 

A team such as Saudi Arabia may await in the last 32, while they could face Turkey in the last 16. I’d expect them to progress through both of those before a game with one of the big boys - likely to be Spain in the quarter-finals. I think Belgium are good enough to beat a lot of the teams at the tournament, but not one of the favourites. A quarter-final appearance will probably go down as par for this group.

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