Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia announces the 26-man final squad for the 2026 North American World Cup at the team’s base camp in Tubize, Belgium, on Nov. 15. AFP-Yonhap
Striker Romelu Lukaku, 33, of Napoli, who has struggled this season, has been named to Belgium’s final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia announced the 26-man national team roster for the World Cup on Saturday, local time, with Lukaku’s name included.
Lukaku has barely played at Napoli due to injury and poor form. He has logged just 64 minutes in official matches, including 40 minutes in the league, and is still sidelined with a hip injury.
His recent national team contribution has also been minimal. He has not played for the squad for a year, with his last appearance coming in a 4-3 win over Wales in a European qualifier in June last year.
Nevertheless, Garcia judged that the presence of Lukaku — Belgium’s all-time leading scorer with 89 goals in 124 international appearances — was essential for the national team.
“Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time top scorer and the greatest striker in our history,” Garcia said. “We have five weeks (until the first World Cup match). We will get him into the best possible condition so he can help the team.” He added, “There is only one player like Lukaku. There is no one who can replace him.”
With Lukaku’s selection, striker Loïs Openda, who has 33 caps, was dropped. Openda, whose parent club is RB Leipzig of Germany, has been on loan at Juventus of Italy this season, scoring just one goal in 24 league matches.
Mathys Fernandez-Pardo, a 21-year-old prospect with dual Belgian-Spanish nationality who plays for Lille of France, made the final squad. Born in Brussels to Spanish and Italian parents, Fernandez-Pardo has previously played for Spain’s under-21 (U-21) national team.
Other core players named to the squad include Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) and Jeremy Doku (Manchester City). Belgium has been drawn into Group G alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand at the upcoming World Cup.
◇ Belgium National Football Team Final World Cup Squad (26)
▲GK = Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Chelsea)
▲DF = 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 (Frankfurt)
▲MF = Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa, England), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona)
▲FW = Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Mathys Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)