Rijeka, Croatia – June 2: Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal in the international friendly match between Croatia and Belgium at Stadion HNK Rijeka on June 2, 2026 in Rijeka, Croatia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
Belgium national team manager Rudi Garcia has confirmed that Romelu Lukaku will not be part of the immediate starting XI for the World Cup, while insisting Kevin De Bruyne is “happy” with Napoli fans and the city of Napoli. “Those aren’t the problems…”
Belgium are preparing for the 2026 World Cup with a number of familiar Serie A faces in their squad.
The Red Devils are in Group G alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.
“First of all, we want to move beyond the group stage. It will be an improvement compared to 2022,” Garcia told Gazzetta.
“Then we’ll see. It depends on who we’re playing against. But the spirit is to stay in the race all the way to New York.”
The former Napoli boss listed “France, Spain, Argentina and even England and Brazil” as favorites to win the trophy, adding: “We are no longer the country that led the FIFA rankings for six years. We are outsiders, but that’s okay. These are the situations I’m used to as a manager.”
Napoli star Lukaku was limited to playing just 60 minutes for the Partenopei in the 2025-26 season after sustaining a severe muscle injury during pre-season.
Back in March, he remained in Belgium for private training without the club’s consent, much to the annoyance of Napoli.
“Honestly, I thought his form would be even worse after being out for so long. At Napoli he didn’t have the space, but I hope he can continue to play consistently,” Garcia said.
“I’m glad he’s recovered, because there’s no other player like him in Belgium. We just have to manage him carefully. I know everyone would like to see him start against Egypt, but that won’t happen. We’ll take it step by step.”
Meanwhile, manager Kevin De Bruyne has recently expressed his dissatisfaction with former manager Antonio Conte, and García has expressed concern that he is dissatisfied with president Aurelio De Laurentiis after a short stint as Partenopei manager in 2023.
“He (De Bruyne) is doing well at Napoli. The fans and the city are great. Those are not the issues, but I don’t want to reignite the controversy over his past experiences,” Garcia said.
“The only thing that matters to me is that De Bruyne is willing to play for Belgium.”
Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers is also part of the Belgium squad, but he will be disappointed to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League.
“De Winter too, but I know that when you go to the World Cup, certain memories disappear and you start thinking only about the national team. Alexis is a valuable footballer because he can play anywhere, like my Florenzi in Rome,” Garcia said.
“I also rely on De Quetelaere. He has scored fewer goals this season than in previous years, but he has been more consistent.”
Meanwhile, Juventus’ Reus Openda was not included in the Belgium squad.
“It hurt to leave him out, but I couldn’t bring in two strikers who don’t play for their club. I chose Lukaku,” Garcia concluded.
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