Belgium's World Cup squad announcement came with a surprising admission from new head coach Rudi Garcia: star striker Romelu Lukaku is "out of shape" but still makes the cut. The 33-year-old, Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances, has struggled for form and fitness at Napoli this season.

Lukaku has managed just 69 minutes of first-team football in 2026 and is currently sidelined with a hip injury. Yet Garcia, who took over in January 2025 after Domenico Tedesco's dismissal, wasn't shy about the situation. "Romelu has recovered, but he's out of shape, and I'm not sure he'll be able to start the matches. But he's our best striker, Belgium's all-time leading scorer," Garcia told reporters. "We have five weeks to get him back to full fitness so that little by little he can help the team."

The 26-man squad features a few notable surprises. Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo earns his first call-up after switching allegiance from Spain, where he played for the Under-21s. Meanwhile, Lois Openda, with 33 caps for Belgium, is left out after scoring just once in 24 Serie A appearances on loan at Juventus from RB Leipzig.

Familiar faces anchor the squad, including Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Jeremy Doku. Belgium will open their World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle on June 15, followed by matches against Iran in Los Angeles and New Zealand in Vancouver as part of Group G.

The Red Devils are eager to rebound from a disastrous 2022 World Cup, where they crashed out in the group stage amid infighting that marked the painful end of their "golden generation." They were also eliminated in the Euro 2024 round of 16 by France after barely scraping through the group phase. Now, under Garcia's leadership, they're looking to write a new chapter.