Van Bommel names 28-man Belgium squad for September-October Nations League; De Ketelaere recalled

Mark van Bommel named his first Belgium squad on September 18, 2026, selecting a 28-man group for the September-October Nations League window and calling up Charles De Ketelaere.

Van Bommel, who replaced Rudi Garcia as head coach, retained much of the core group that represented Belgium at the FIFA World Cup 2026 while introducing eight players who did not take part in that tournament campaign. He has assembled the squad specifically for Belgium’s upcoming Nations League fixtures in September and October.

Several regulars were absent from the selection: goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has asked to be excluded from the Nations League matches, Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku and Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana are unavailable because of injuries, Alexis Saelemaekers and defender Thomas Meunier were omitted, and Axel Witsel has retired from international football.

Among the new faces in the squad are uncapped goalkeepers Jari De Busser, Mike Penders and Maarten Vandevoordt, plus 21-year-old fullback Kyriani Sabbe.

The goalkeepers named are Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Chelsea), Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig) and Jari De Busser (AZ Alkmaar). Defenders selected are Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Kyriani Sabbe (Club Brugge), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Bologna), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon), Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Koni De Winter (AC Milan).

Midfielders in the squad are Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Manchester United), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Mandela Keita (Parma) and Romeo Lavia (Chelsea). Forwards selected are Mika Godts (Paris Saint-Germain), Romelu Lukaku (Fenerbahce), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (AC Milan), Lois Openda (Olympique Lyonnais), Leandro Trossard (Besiktas), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Newcastle United) and Malick Fofana (Sunderland).

Belgium are scheduled to face Italy, France and Turkey between September 25 and October 5 in the Nations League window.