Belgium World Cup squad 2022: All expected 26 players on the Belgian football team for Qatar
With Roberto Martinez leading the Red Devils to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Belgium's “golden generation” looks set to have their last chance at a World Cup squad shows. Kevin de Bruyne and his national team have high hopes as young stars to lead Belgium into a new era of international competition. Qatar FIFA World Cup fans can buy Croatia Vs Belgium Tickets from our website.
They reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup, lost 1-0 to Argentina and finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the country’s best World Cup result to date.
Belgium, now number two in the world, is still often underestimated among many other World Cup superpowers such as Brazil, France, Spain and Germany.
This team’s attack is deep and dangerous, but they have many weaknesses that the team can exploit. Still, Martinez is a top coach who knows how to get the most out of his players by putting them in the best position to succeed.
Expected Belgium FIFA World Cup squad 2022
Martinez must submit an official preliminary roster of 35-55 players to FIFA by Friday, October 21, from which he will select his final roster of 26 players in Qatar by Monday, November 14.
Those names are most likely to appear on Martinez’s tentative list, based on last year’s World Cup qualifiers and friendlies.
The roster of 35-55 players
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 96 |
| GK | Simon Mignolet | Club Brugge (BEL) | 34 | 35 |
| GK | Koen Casteels | Wolfsburg (GER) | 30 | 4 |
| GK | Matz Sels | Strasbourg (FRA) | 30 | 2 |
| DEF | Toby Alderweireld | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 33 | 123 |
| DEF | Jan Vertonghen | Anderlecht (BEL) | 35 | 141 |
| DEF | Thomas Meunier | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 31 | 58 |
| DEF | Timothy Castagne | Leicester City (ENG) | 26 | 25 |
| DEF | Dedryck Boyata | Club Brugge (BEL) | 31 | 31 |
| DEF | Jason Denayer | Al Ahli (UAE) | 27 | 35 |
| DEF | Zeno Debast | Anderlecht (BEL) | 18 | 2 |
| DEF | Arthur Theate | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 22 | 3 |
| DEF | Brandon Mechele | Club Brugge (BEL) | 29 | 3 |
| DEF | Wout Faes | Leicester City (ENG) | 24 | 1 |
| MID | Kevin de Bruyne | Manchester City (ENG) | 31 | 93 |
| MID | Youri Tielemans | Leicester City (ENG) | 54 | 5 |
| MID | Leander Dendoncker | Aston Villa (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | Amadou Onana | Everton (ENG) | 21 | 2 |
| MID | Yannick Carrasco | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 59 |
| MID | Axel Witsel | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 33 | 126 |
| MID | Charles de Ketelaere | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 10 |
| MID | Dennis Praet | Leicester City (ENG) | 28 | 15 |
| MID | Adnan Januzaj | Sevilla (SPA) | 27 | 15 |
| MID | Albert Lokonga | Arsenal (ENG) | 22 | 1 |
| MID | Leandro Trossard | Brighton (ENG) | 27 | 21 |
| MID | Hans Vanaken | Club Brugge (BEL) | 30 | 22 |
| MID | Thorgan Hazard | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 | 45 |
| FWD | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 102 |
| FWD | Michy Batshuayi | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 29 | 47 |
| FWD | Christian Benteke | D.C. United (USA) | 31 | 45 |
| FWD | Dries Mertens | Galatasaray (TUR) | 35 | 106 |
| FWD | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 122 |
| FWD | Divock Origi | AC Milan (ITA) | 27 | 32 |
| FWD | Jeremy Doku | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 20 | 10 |
| FWD | Yari Verschaeren | Anderlecht (BEL) | 21 | 7 |
| FWD | Lois Openda | Lens (FRA) | 22 | 4 |
| FWD | Dodi Lukebakio | Hertha BSC (GER) | 25 | 5 |
| FWD | Dante Vanzeir | Union SG (BEL) | 24 | 1 |
Belgium World Cup squad 26-man finalists
Most of the players who will play for Belgium at the World Cup have already secured their place in the squad, barring pre-match injuries.
Martinez has several options among young up-and-coming players, but his squad is mostly made up of top talent from the top five of Europe’s leagues. Football World Cup 2022 fans can buy Qatar FIFA World Cup Tickets from our website.
Full-back Thomas Meunier suffered a broken cheekbone while on duty with the club on October 16, which has cast doubt on his World Cup status. Borussia Dortmund says he will not play for the club after the World Cup, but he has not yet been banned from international competition.
Assuming all players are healthy and ready, here’s a plausible Final 26 Martinez to pick from.
Final 26-man roster
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid (SPA) | 30 | 96 |
| GK | Simon Mignolet | Club Brugge (BEL) | 34 | 35 |
| GK | Koen Casteels | Wolfsburg (GER) | 30 | 4 |
| DEF | Toby Alderweireld | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 33 | 123 |
| DEF | Jan Vertonghen | Anderlecht (BEL) | 35 | 141 |
| DEF | Thomas Meunier | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 31 | 58 |
| DEF | Timothy Castagne | Leicester City (ENG) | 26 | 25 |
| DEF | Dedryck Boyata | Club Brugge (BEL) | 31 | 31 |
| DEF | Jason Denayer | Al Ahli (UAE) | 27 | 35 |
| DEF | Zeno Debast | Anderlecht (BEL) | 18 | 2 |
| MID | Kevin de Bruyne | Man City (ENG) | 31 | 93 |
| MID | Hans Vanaken | Club Brugge (BEL) | 30 | 22 |
| MID | Youri Tielemans | Leicester City (ENG) | 54 | 5 |
| MID | Leander Dendoncker | Aston Villa (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | Amadou Onana | Everton (ENG) | 21 | 2 |
| MID | Yannick Carrasco | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 59 |
| MID | Axel Witsel | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 33 | 126 |
| MID | Charles de Ketelaere | AC Milan (ITA) | 21 | 10 |
| MID | Leandro Trossard | Brighton (ENG) | 27 | 21 |
| MID | Thorgan Hazard | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 29 | 45 |
| FWD | Romelu Lukaku | Inter Milan (ITA) | 29 | 102 |
| FWD | Michy Batshuayi | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 29 | 47 |
| FWD | Dries Mertens | Galatasaray (TUR) | 35 | 106 |
| FWD | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 122 |
| FWD | Divock Origi | AC Milan (ITA) | 27 | 32 |
| FWD | Jeremy Doku | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 20 | 10 |
Stars, strengths and weaknesses of the Belgian national team
To build on their third place four years ago and defend their second place in the FIFA world rankings, Belgium has plenty of star players and attacking talent to fall back on.
Still, there are plenty of holes in this pool of players and Martinez will have to work hard to find the right combination, especially in the backcourt.
Stars
The well-deserved superstar of the Belgian national team is Kevin De Bruyne, who is regarded as one of the best players in the world. His creativity is world-class and every pass imaginable. He can also score goals and will be looking for a formidable attacking power.
Next to De Bruyne is Romelu Lukaku, who is back on the court at Inter, but injuries have brought his club’s start to the season to a halt. Still, Martinez manages to make the most of a dangerous attacker who has been inconsistent throughout his career.
Other stars in the Belgian squad include Eden Hazard, a stranger to Real Madrid, and Thibaut Courtois, a star player in last season’s Champions League final, who has established himself as one of the most talented goalkeepers in the world. Charles de Ketelaere is another name to watch, starring in his first season with AC Milan.
Not many teams in the coaching staff have star names, but Belgium has former France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry as one of the assistants behind Martinez.
Strengths
This team has great creativity. The presence of De Bruyne alone is a nightmare for the team, but add Hazard, Lukaku, De Ketelaere and Youri Tielemans and the team will score goals.
In addition, keepers are Belgium’s strongest side. Courtois is known as the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment, while substitute Simon Mignolet is in good form in the club’s Champions League game at Club Brugge. Qatar World Cup 2022 fans can buy FIFA World Cup Tickets from our website.
Weaknesses
The age of the backcourt is the biggest problem for this Belgian team. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are as experienced and solid as they are, but they are 33 and 35 years old respectively and have both returned to Belgium to complete their club careers.
Few young talents can replace them, meaning the two veterans are likely to start for Belgium when they are fit.
Belgium Football World Cup Group
The Red Devils are placed in Group F, with only the best two from each group progressing.
Belgium, the highest-ranked team in Group F, will begin games against John Herdman and Canada before taking on African powerhouses Morocco and 2018 finalists Croatia.
A knockout spot may already be in hand, and the final game against Croatia could be a solid touchstone for whether Belgium is ready to chase World Cup glory.
FIFA World Cup Group F schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Morocco vs. Croatia | 5 a.m. | Al Bayt |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Belgium vs. Canada | 2 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Belgium vs. Morocco | 8 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Croatia vs. Canada | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Croatia vs. Belgium | 10 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Canada vs. Morocco | 10 a.m. | Al Thumama |
Belgium FIFA World Cup 2022 squad, the line-up
Finding a third member to play alongside Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen will be manager Martinez’s biggest challenge at the 2022 World Cup. Jason Denayer appears to be the leading candidate, although Dedryck Boyata and even Zeno Debast can confirm that.
Thomas Meunier’s status at the World Cup has been called into question by an injury that broke his cheekbone at Borussia Dortmund on October 16.
The combination of the midfield will also be crucial. Premier League duo Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker seem most likely to start, but veteran Axel Witsel could fight for quite some time, with Amadou Onana also an option.
Romelu Lukaku is a midfield starter when healthy, but he has also been used on the wing by Martinez in previous caps and could be deployed on the wing where Michy Batshuayi leads the way. Ultimately, the correct use of Kevin De Bruyne is a big key for Martinez, who will likely be deployed as part of the front line, forcing him to cut in the middle when the fullbacks overlap.
The expected starting line-up of Belgium against Canada (3-4-3):
Courtois (GK) – Alderweireld, Thielemans, Vertonghen, Denayer – Castagne, Meunier – Hazard, Dendonk, Lukaku, De Bruyne.
Can Belgium replace players on the Football World Cup squad?
Once the final roster of 26 men has been formalized, teams participating in the World Cup can only make changes before the opening game of the tournament, and only in exceptional circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules: “A player on the final list will only be replaced due to a serious injury or illness within 24 hours before the start of his team’s first game.”
The team in question must submit a medical report to FIFA, and a replacement will be allowed if the world governing body determines that the “injury is serious enough to inhibit the player from joining in the FIFA World Cup “.
Substitutions must be drawn from the preliminary squad submitted to FIFA in October.
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