Belgium football head coach Rudi Garcia has expressed strong confidence in his squad's ability to make a deep run at the FIFA World Cup 2026, as the Red Devils prepare for their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance. Speaking ahead of the tournament, the 62-year-old coach outlined both his immediate objectives and broader ambitions for the side.

Group Stage Target

Belgium have been drawn in Group G alongside Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand. Garcia has set a clear, two-part goal: top the group and secure a favourable knockout-round draw. '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 said in an interview with FIFA.

Belgium's Pedigree vs the Group

With 14 World Cup campaigns behind them, Belgium boast considerably more global experience than the rest of Group G combined — eclipsing Egypt's three, Iran's six, and New Zealand's two appearances. This comes after Belgium suffered a shock group-stage exit at Qatar 2022, a result Garcia appears determined not to repeat.

Despite the statistical edge, Garcia was careful not to dismiss the opposition. 'We have a huge amount of respect for the other three sides in our group. 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. We're also up against a team from Oceania and one from Asia,' he noted, adding that Belgium are 'looking forward to finding out what the Iranian and New Zealand teams are made of.'

Embracing the Underdog Tag

Belgium enter the tournament ranked ninth in the FIFA World Rankings, a notable drop from the years when they sat atop the global standings. Garcia acknowledged the shift candidly. 'For six years — maybe longer — Belgium topped the FIFA rankings. The team dubbed the 'golden generation' were tipped as the frontrunners to win at both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, but ultimately fell short on both occasions. The picture is very different these days. We'll just be the underdogs, but I don't mind that — in fact, I prefer it,' he said.

Garcia's Message to the Squad

The coach closed with a defiant rallying call for his players. 'We should fear nobody, that's for sure. I've already told the players: we have to believe we can go toe-to-toe with any team,' Garcia said. The Red Devils' final warm-up matches remain ahead before they open their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, with all eyes on whether this squad can finally deliver on the promise that eluded the celebrated golden generation.