Lukaku Makes Belgium's 26-Man World Cup Squad Despite Fitness Concerns

Belgium has named Romelu Lukaku in its 26-man World Cup squad, even after Rudi Garcia said the striker is out of shape. The call puts the team’s all-time leading scorer on the roster despite seven substitute appearances and only 69 minutes in the 2025-26 season.

Lukaku and Garcia

Garcia did not hide the issue around his No. 1 forward. “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,” he said.

The plan is to build him up before the tournament. “We have five weeks to get him back to full fitness so that little by little he can help the team,” Garcia said.

Belgium's striker options

Lukaku, 33, has scored one goal this season and has not played since 6 March. He has been in Belgium for the past two months recovering from a hamstring injury, and his most recent international appearance came against Wales last June.

Even with that workload, Belgium kept faith in him for a fourth successive World Cup. He has 89 goals in 124 caps, and the squad also includes established names such as Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne and Axel Witsel.

Fernandez-Pardo joins Belgium

Belgium also turned to Lille's Matias Fernandez-Pardo as cover after he pledged his international allegiance to Belgium this week. Born in Brussels to Italian and Spanish parents, the 21-year-old played for Belgium at junior level, switched his allegiance to Spain in 2025 and did not make an appearance for them.

Belgium chose Fernandez-Pardo instead of Lois Openda, and Zeno Debast was included despite an injury in training. The squad will face Egypt, Iran and New Zealand in Group G, with those matches set to be played in the United States and Canada.

For Belgium, the choice is clear: carry Lukaku’s scoring record into Group G and trust the recovery timeline to catch up before the tournament starts to bite.