Belgium head coach, Rudi Garcia, believes the Red Devils have the talent and determination to enjoy a successful campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Drawn in Group G alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, Belgium will be aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of their early exit at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Garcia said his immediate focus is ensuring Belgium progress from the group stage, while maintaining the ambition of making a deep run in the competition.
“We need to distinguish between our objective and our ambition. Our priority is to get through the group stage. Let’s come out on top so that we earn a more favourable draw and, ideally, stay put [in Seattle for the Round of 32]. That will be the objective,” Garcia told FIFA.com.
“We’ll go as far as possible. Then again, it also comes down to the luck of the draw. But, as I said, we’re very driven, we’re aiming high and our squad is capable of achieving great things.”
Belgium Backed to Lead Group G
Belgium are considered strong favourites to top Group G, thanks to a squad that combines experience with proven quality at the highest level.
The Red Devils also possess a richer World Cup history than their group-stage opponents, having appeared at the tournament 14 times. In comparison, Egypt have featured three times, Iran six times and New Zealand twice.
Despite Belgium’s status as favourites, Garcia insisted his side will approach every opponent with caution and respect.
“We have a huge amount of respect for the other three sides in our group,” he stressed. “This is what the World Cup is all about. We know Egypt well; they’re one of the best teams in Africa. I know all about Mo Salah as I coached him at Roma,” added Garcia.
“We’re also up against a team from Oceania and one from Asia. We’re obviously less familiar with them as we don’t see them play as often, but we’re looking forward to finding out what the Iranian and New Zealand teams are made of.
“Let’s start by respecting our group-stage opponents. Let’s beat them, finish top of the group, and then we’ll see how far we can go.”
