Belgium Names Lukaku in World Cup Squad Despite Fitness Issues
Romelu Lukaku has been selected for Belgium's World Cup squad, even though manager Rudi Garcia has described him as "out of shape".
The Napoli striker, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Wednesday, has scored only one goal this season and has not played since 6 March. He has made just seven substitute appearances totaling 69 minutes in the 2025-26 season and has been in Belgium for the past two months recovering from a hamstring injury.
Lukaku is Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances. His most recent international match was against Wales in June last year.
"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," said Garcia.
"We have five weeks to get him back to full fitness so that little by little he can help the team."
The former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Everton forward has the opportunity to participate in his fourth consecutive World Cup, alongside teammates Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne, and Axel Witsel.
Additional Squad Details and New Inclusions
Napoli may take disciplinary action against Lukaku for missing training sessions. Meanwhile, Garcia has included Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo as cover after the 21-year-old forward pledged his international allegiance to Belgium this week.
Fernandez-Pardo was born in Brussels to Italian and Spanish parents and previously represented Belgium at junior levels. Although he switched allegiance to Spain in 2025, he did not make any appearances for their senior team.
Fernandez-Pardo was selected over Lois Openda, who has not been a regular player for Juventus this season. Additionally, Sporting defender Zeno Debast has been included in the squad despite sustaining an injury during training.
Belgium will compete in Group G against Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, with matches scheduled to take place in the United States and Canada.
Belgium World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Racing Strasbourg)
Defenders: 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 (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Midfielders: Kevin de Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona)
Forwards: Charles de Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemaekers (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
World Cup 2026: Every nation's squad as they are announced
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