Rudi Garcia inherits a Belgium side caught between eras, tasked with managing the transition from the so-called golden generation that reached the 2018 semi-final — still the country's best World Cup return — into something less defined. The Frenchman, whose CV spans Roma, Marseille, Lyon and a brief, bruising spell at Napoli, is a pragmatic appointment rather than a visionary one, brought in to stabilise after a patchy qualifying run. A FIFA ranking of ninth flatters a group no longer expected to contend, and after missing the knockouts in Qatar, simply navigating the expanded format competently would qualify as progress.
Key players
Kevin De Bruyne anchors the creative load even in a reduced workload at Napoli, where 5 goals and 4 assists in 21 appearances, alongside 9 big chances created and an xG of 4.2, suggest his end product remains intact when the minutes come. Alongside him, Jérémy Doku is the squad's most direct threat: 9 goals and 12 assists for Manchester City, 150 dribbles and 18 big chances created in 2,961 minutes, numbers that make him the obvious source of one-versus-one disruption from the left. The third pillar is Thibaut Courtois, back to a full season at Real Madrid with 123 saves across 43 appearances and 3,826 minutes — the buffer Belgium will lean on whenever the midfield is bypassed. Captain Youri Tielemans (50 key passes, 7 assists, 71 tackles in 35 games for Aston Villa) provides the connective tissue between them, though the headline acts remain De Bruyne's vision, Doku's carrying and Courtois's goal.
Predicted XI
Form going into the tournament
Garcia's 4-2-3-1 is built around possession with a double pivot of Vanaken and Tielemans shielding a back four that will sit in a mid-block rather than press aggressively from the front. The intent is to funnel play wide, then spring forward through Doku's carrying on the left and De Bruyne operating as the central creator behind De Ketelaere, with Trossard drifting inside from the right to overload half-spaces. Two questions linger. The first is the centre-back pairing: Theate and Debast are the likely call, but neither offers the recovery pace to cover a high line if Garcia is tempted to push the full-backs on. The second is the lone striker berth, where De Ketelaere's link play is preferred to a true penalty-box finisher — a profile Belgium simply lack in this squad.
Team form
Group G opens against Egypt on 15 June, an opponent ranked 29th by FIFA and capable of frustrating a possession-heavy side if Belgium's tempo dips. Iran, sitting 21st, arrives six days later as the most physically demanding of the three, while 85th-ranked New Zealand should be navigable if rotation is handled sensibly. Top spot is the realistic target. From there the bracket is fluid — actual opponents depend on group order and the third-place permutations — though our model projects a Round of 32 tie against 28th-ranked Algeria, and that is also where it has Belgium bowing out. Anything beyond the last 16 would represent genuine progress; elimination before the knockouts, against this group, would count as a clear disappointment.
Country-form leaders
Club-form leaders
Group stage
Group fixtures
