FIFA World Cup 2026 — Who is Belgium’s coach?

Belgium will kick off its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Egypt on Monday, June 15, 2026, at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, Washington.

The golden generation managed to finish third in the 2018 edition and head coach Rudi Garcia will hope that the youngsters in the squad can live up to those high standards.

Garcia has inherited a side between the eras. His job is not only to get Belgium through the group, but also to get the older core and younger players to fit into one structure. Managing Romelu Lukaku’s fitness and protecting an aging spine will be central to the Belgian tournament.

Rudi Garcia record as manager:

• Total number of matches: 921

• Wins: 447

• Pulls: 250

• Losses: 224

• Win percentage: 48.53

Rudi Garcia record as manager of Belgium:

• Total number of matches: 14

• Win: 9

• Draws: 4

• Losses: 1

• Win percentage: 64.29

What did Rudi Garcia say ahead of the 2026 World Cup?

«We have to distinguish between our goal and our ambition. Our priority is to get through the group stage. Let’s come out on top so that we earn a more favorable draw and ideally stay where we are (in Seattle for the Round of 32). That will be the goal!» Garcia said FIFA in an interview.

“We have enormous respect for the other three parties in our group,” he emphasized. «This is what the World Cup is all about. We know Egypt well; they are one of the best teams in Africa. I know all about Mo Salah when I coached him at Roma. We are also up against a team from Oceania and a team from Asia. We obviously know them less because we don’t see them play that often, but we are looking forward to finding out what the Iranian and New Zealand teams are made of.»

Published on June 15, 2026