The plan 

The head coach, Rudi Garcia, is well aware that the Red Devils’ strength lies in attack. Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku and Romelu Lukaku can each make a difference in their own way. The defence is, except for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the weak point after the golden generation of Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen dropped out. “That is why I will always choose four defenders and not five,” Garcia explains. “With five defenders I have to sacrifice an attacking player and that would be a shame.” 

Garcia usually opts for a medium block to support the attack and not put too much pressure on the defenders. His reasoning could be described as flawed because there is a problem with Lukaku. He played only 64 minutes for Napoli this season and none for the national team because of injuries. He was also deeply affected by the death of his father. Belgium’s all time top scorer – 89 goals – will therefore start the World Cup without a match rhythm.

Qualifying went smoothly against Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein. Despite going undefeated, the level of play was not high and there were three draws, two against North Macedonia and one in Kazakhstan. With 29 goals in eight games, the Red Devils underlined where their strengths lay. It's clear that there will be plenty of attention on Doku in attack and Courtois to prevent goals.

Garcia has only been in charge since January 2025 and said at his unveiling: "I am ready to take on the challenge. It will take time to learn, even though we don’t have much of it. It's not about trying, it's about doing, that’s my motto." Hard work is key, according to the Frenchman. "We must focus on the mindset. We must wear the jersey with pride, and give everything for the national team.”

The coach 

Rudi Garcia is a national coach for the first time in his career and so will be making his World Cup debut in North America. The 62-year-old succeeded Domenico Tedesco in January 2025 and has plenty of experience, having been in charge at Lille, Roma, Marseille, Lyon, Al Nassr and Napoli among others. The Frenchman is old school, rejecting data-lead analysis, and has restored a good atmosphere to the national squad. “What matters to me is that there is a team on the field,” he says. “My experience shows that you get the furthest that way.”

Star player 

Jérémy Doku is the most popular player in the squad. The 23-year-old Manchester City attacker is still making giant steps in his development. Having relied solely on his impressive speed, he has developed his crossing ability of late and scored some important goals in the closing stages of this Premier League season. “I know my qualities and know that I have to work on my statistics,” he said. “But I'm not there yet.”

One to watch 

Matias Fernandez-Pardo was not in Garcia’s plans until early May. The 21-year-old Lille striker, who holds Spanish and Belgian passports, had declared he would choose Spain. When the Belgian FA sounded him out again due to the doubts surrounding Lukaku and the decline of Loïs Openda at Juventus, he changed his mind. His speed, dribbling skills and opportunism have earned him a slot in the World Cup squad. Fernandez-Pardo left Gent in the winter of 2025 as a winger, but the Lille coach Bruno Génésio has deployed him as a striker, leading to eight goals and five assists in 29 league games in 2025-26. 

Unsung hero 

Maxim De Cuyper The 25-year-old Brighton left-back is of great value to the Red Devils with his attacking contributions and, in the absence of Lukaku, developed into a regular goalscorer with four goals in his past 14 games by mid-May, each one more beautiful or important than the last. Under Garcia, he has started every match when fit. He will likely retain that status during the World Cup despite his status as a substitute all too often at Brighton.

Probable starting XI

4-3-3 Courtois - Castagne, Ngoy, Théate, De Cuyper - Onana, Tielemans, De Bruyne - Saelemaekers, De Ketelaere, Doku

What to expect from fans at games? 

Belgian fans love having a few beers before entering the stadium, having fun and are never violent. However, there are not many chants because Dutch, French and a little German are spoken in Belgium, the linguistic mix making it difficult to coordinate the songs. As a compromise, they simply sing in English, if there is any singing at all.

This article is part of JoySports' collaboration with The Guardian. The cooperation enables readers to access team news, previews, and more from all 48 teams that qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026.