Dodi Lukebakio has played only once in Belgium's three group matches at the 2026 World Cup. The winger arrived hoping to cement his place, but his role has stayed narrow while Belgium has moved through the group stage.
Dodi Lukebakio and Belgium
The clearest number is the one that keeps his tournament story flat: one appearance, three group matches. He stayed on the bench for 90 minutes against Egypt, then came on for Alexis Saelemaekers on 58 minutes against Iran before Nathan Ngoy was sent off eight minutes later.
He did not come on in the third group match against New Zealand. That leaves his World Cup contribution stuck at a single outing, despite the fact that he arrived in the tournament with a stronger attacking case than the minutes suggest.
March and Tunisia form
That case was built earlier in the year. In March, Lukebakio scored two goals against the United States and one goal against Mexico in friendlies, then struck in a warm-up against Tunisia despite only 17 minutes on the pitch. He also recovered from a fractured left ankle in November, which had threatened his call-up.
He was signed from Sevilla for 20 million euros on the final day of the 2025 summer window, and he admitted he barely had the chance to show himself at Benfica. Walfoot said he is among the Belgium players most disappointed by the limited minutes, and the frustration is easy to read in the contrast between that form and the bench time at the World Cup.
Rudi Garcia’s selection call
Rudi Garcia has leaned on other options while Lukebakio has waited. The pattern points to a simple selection reality: training work and prior scoring touch have not yet been enough to turn him into a regular choice during the tournament.
For Belgium, that means one of the players who looked ready to push for a larger role has still been used sparingly. For Lukebakio, the immediate question is whether one brief appearance stays the full story of his 2026 World Cup run.
