Following FIFA’s decision to overturn the suspension of Folarin Balogun, the match between Belgium And United States became one of the hottest battles in the 1/8 finals of the tournament World Cup 2026. Even though Belgium learned that Balogun would be starting for the United States today, they made a shocking decision of their own. Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia has made a decision. leave Romelu Lukaku out of the starting lineup.
As the head coach of the Belgian national team decided in the last two games: Lukaku will come on as a substitute for the Red Devils against the USMNT in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The decision is purely tactical, because Charles De Ketelaar plays in the ninth position.instead of.
However, there is also a medical reason why Lukaku is not Belgium’s starting striker. Dealing with a Hamstring InjuryLukaku played just seven games in the 2025/26 season and mostly came from the bench. Belgium’s all-time leading scorer not 100 percent yet. In other eyebrow-raising calls, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne will also not start for Belgium against the USA.
Belgium don’t trust Lukaku to play to his full potential
Although Lukaku is cleared to play, Garcia and the national team’s medical staff not sure that he will play all 90— and perhaps 120 minutes. This is another reason why Belgium most often use Lukaku as a substitute. If Lukaku can only play a certain number of minutes, Belgium will It’s better to let him play in the later stages games than the earlier ones.
Romelu Lukaku number 9 in Belgium after scoring against Senegal.
“(Lukaku) has recovered, but he is out of shape and I’m not sure he’ll be able to start the matches.. But he is our best striker, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer.” Garcia spoke about Lukaku’s health ahead of the 2026 World Cup via BBC.
Garcia went so far as to recognize Lukaku as the best striker on the 26-man list. This might have made the decision to have De Ketelare start in his place look even worse, but the Belgium coach explained that Lukaku’s benching was largely down to because of his health, not his skills or pedigreeboth are impossible to miss. Belgium could also have an influential player in Doku, who is not starting today due to another tactical decision by Garcia.
Lukaku’s stats at the 2026 World Cup
So far at the 2026 World Cup Lukaku started only one game (draw with Iran 0:0), but in every second match he left the bench. Belgium has had success so far with this formula. and Lukaku tooscoring two goals, both after coming off the bench. So as long as Lukaku and Garcia are united, this could be a recipe for victory. So far, so good..
Lukaku did not express dissatisfaction with the coaching decision, and he repaid Garcia with goals or assists almost every time he logged into the game. The situation against the USA will most likely not change. Lukaku is expected to come off the bench at some point. Whether this happens sooner or later will depend on how the Red Devils play against the Stars and Stripes.
Needless to say, Belgium are hoping they won’t need another miraculous comeback like the one they pulled off against Senegal in the round of 16.