Belgium's World Cup Journey: Health and Confidence Restored
Belgium arrive at the sharp end of this World Cup with something they haven’t truly had all tournament: a clean bill of health and a clear head.
Rudi Garcia stood in Seattle on Tuesday and, for the first time in weeks, could talk about his squad without a medical caveat attached.
“Before this game against Senegal, we are lucky to have everyone available,” he said. “Everyone was not 100 percent, unfortunately, or everyone was not completely fit. But this is over.”
It has been a stuttering route to the knockouts. Belgium opened with back‑to‑back draws against Egypt and Iran in Group G, performances that never quite matched the weight of expectation around this generation. Then came New Zealand – and a release. A 5-1 rout, top spot secured, and a hint of the ruthless edge that has so often defined their best nights on the big stage.
They needed that. Not just for the table, but for the mood.
Romelu Lukaku, the country’s record scorer, has been the symbol of that uneasy balance between hope and concern. He played barely an hour for Napoli this past season, his hamstring refusing to cooperate. In this tournament he has been eased in, used off the bench, but even in short bursts his presence has changed games. Defenders drop deeper. Midfielders dare to play into him. Belgium suddenly look more like Belgium.
Jeremy Doku’s path has been different but just as disruptive. He missed the second group match to fly to London for the birth of his son, a life moment that dwarfs even a World Cup fixture. Charles De Ketelaere, meanwhile, watched the 0-0 against Iran from the stands, his knee a concern that Belgium could ill afford.
Now, on the eve of a knockout tie that will define their campaign, those issues have cleared.
“Jeremy, Romelu are getting better. Charles, I think that his problem is over as well,” Garcia said, the relief obvious in the way he lingered on the word “over”. The sense around the camp is of a group finally aligned physically with its ambition.
They still know they left points on the table.
“We wanted to end first in the group and this is what we did,” Garcia added. “I wish we had won more games, all the games, but we're not going to go back in the past. What matters now is that we progressed out of the group stage.”
The tone has shifted. The margin for error has not.
Senegal await, and with the tournament now in its knockout phase, the safety net has gone. One bad half, one lapse, and all the talk of renewed optimism will feel hollow.
Inside the Belgian camp, nobody needed a reminder of that. Paraguay provided one anyway.
Their shock win over Germany on Monday rippled through the tournament, a jolt to any side tempted to believe that pedigree alone carries you through at this stage. De Ketelaere, now fit and pushing to start, did not dress it up.
“I don't think it matters who is the favourite,” the Atalanta forward said. “It matters that we have confidence in ourselves and that we are sharp tomorrow to just go win this game, because yesterday showed us that to be favourites or not, it doesn't matter.
“We need to be alert and sharp to win the game.”
That is the crux for Belgium. Talent has never been the question. Consistency, intensity, that ruthless edge when the stakes rise – those are the doubts they must erase against a Senegal side built to punish any hint of complacency.
The injuries have cleared. The excuses have gone with them. Now comes the part of a World Cup where a golden generation either proves its name, or watches someone else’s story take over.
