Belgium has included striker Romelu Lukaku in their World Cup squad despite concerns over his fitness, with head coach Rudi Garcia admitting the forward is not yet in peak condition following a lengthy injury layoff.

The Napoli striker, who recently turned 33, has made only seven substitute appearances totalling 69 minutes during the 2025–26 season after spending two months recovering from a hamstring injury.

Speaking on Friday, Garcia said Lukaku remains an important figure for the national team despite his current condition.

“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.

The Belgium coach added that the technical crew would carefully manage Lukaku’s recovery ahead of the tournament.

“We have five weeks to get him back to full fitness so that little by little he can help the team,” he stated.

Lukaku, Belgium’s record goalscorer with 89 goals in 124 international appearances, is preparing to feature at his fourth consecutive World Cup.

He will be joined in the squad by experienced players including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, and Axel Witsel.

Belgium also handed a place to Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who recently committed his international future to Belgium. He replaces Lois Openda, who has struggled for regular club minutes this season.

Sporting defender Zeno Debast was also included in the squad despite recently sustaining an injury during training.

Belgium will compete in Group G of the tournament alongside Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, with matches set to take place in the United States and Canada.