Belgium coach Rudi Garcia announced the nation's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup on May 15, including striker Romelu Lukaku despite his limited playing time this season and injury setbacks [1, 2, 3].
Lukaku, who turned 33 on May 13, has not started a game for Napoli in 2025-26 and appeared only seven times as a substitute, scoring his sole goal against Verona in February [1, 4, 2, 3, 5]. Before the squad reveal, Lukaku spent two months in Belgium rehabilitating a hamstring injury [1, 4, 2, 3, 5].
Garcia described Lukaku as "out of shape" and uncertain to start matches but called him "our best striker, Belgium's all-time leading scorer" [4, 5]. Lukaku holds the record with 89 goals in 124 caps, though his last international appearance was in June 2025 during a 4-3 World Cup qualifying win over Wales [1, 4, 2, 3, 5].
The squad also features 21-year-old forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who recently switched his international allegiance back to Belgium from Spain without having played for Spain. Fernandez-Pardo was selected ahead of Juventus forward Lois Openda, who has seen limited game time this season [1, 4, 2, 3, 5].
Defender Zeno Debast was included despite a training injury and uncertainty around his recovery [1, 4, 2, 3]. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, fully recovered from injury, was named alongside Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Axel Witsel for their fourth consecutive World Cup appearances [1, 4, 2, 3, 5].
Belgium will compete in Group G with Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand. Matches will be held in the United States and Canada [1, 4, 3]. The team has about five weeks until the tournament begins for Lukaku to regain full fitness and contribute on the pitch, according to Garcia [4].
