Belgium have named Romelu Lukaku in their World Cup squad despite ongoing doubts over his match fitness, with head coach Rudi Garcia conceding that the striker is still not at full sharpness after a recent injury setback.
The Belgium national football team forward, currently with Napoli, has made only seven substitute appearances this season—totaling 69 minutes—after missing two months due to a hamstring injury.
Reporting via BBC Sport on Friday, Garcia emphasized Lukaku’s importance to the squad but admitted his condition is still being carefully managed ahead of the tournament.
“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,” Garcia said.
He further explained that the technical team intends to gradually build the striker’s fitness ahead of the competition.
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“We have five weeks to get him back to full fitness so that little by little he can help the team,” he said.
Lukaku, who holds Belgium’s all-time scoring record with 89 goals in 124 international caps, is set for his fourth straight World Cup appearance.
He will line up alongside experienced teammates including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, and Axel Witsel.
The squad also features Matías Fernández-Pardo of Lille, who has recently committed his international future to Belgium, replacing Loïs Openda, who has struggled for consistent club minutes.
Meanwhile, defender Zeno Debast has been included despite picking up a recent training injury.
Belgium are set to compete in Group G at the tournament, where they will face Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, with fixtures scheduled across the United States and Canada.