Lukaku included but no Godts as Garcia announces Belgian squad for World Cup

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lukaku-romelu/dCkG0Iw0/"]Lukaku[/a], who turned 33 on Wednesday, has not started for Napoli ‌this season, making seven substitute appearances and netting a goal at Verona in February, ‌and has been in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a] for the last two months ‌rehabilitating after a hamstring injury.[/p][p]But his role as the country’s leading scorer ‌has seen coach Rudi Garcia gamble on his fitness for ‌the tournament starting next month, where Belgium are in Group G along with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.[/p][p]Lukaku has scored 89 times but won the last ‌of his 124 caps in the 4-3 home ⁠win over Wales in World ‌Cup qualification last June.[/p][p]As cover, Garcia included promising attacker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-pardo-mathias/0vPhfqq8/"]Matias Fernandez-Pardo[/a] after ​he committed his international future to the country earlier this week.[/p][embed guid="11b451a0-7e51-46b2-9588-32aa54f61e47" url="https://x.com/BelRedDevils/status/2055248189653913717" social-type="twitter" /][p]The 21-year-old, who was born in Brussels to Italian and ​Spanish parents, played for Belgium at junior level but in 2024 chose to play for Spain, but subsequently did not honour a ⁠call-up to their under-20 ​side. He has had a strong season at Lille and is chosen in place of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/openda-lois/IN2MK7Jo/"]Lois Openda[/a], who has not played regularly for Juventus this season.[/p][p]Sporting defender Zeno Debast was also included despite being hurt ‌in training for the Portuguese club and amid reports he might not recover in time. Debast has been a regular since Garcia took over as coach.[/p][p]The timely return from injury of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is a bonus for the squad, but speculation that Garcia would pick four goalkeepers in his 26-man selection proved incorrect.[/p][p]Garcia announced his squad in the lunchtime news bulletin on Belgian television, and it will be a fourth successive World Cup for Courtois, Lukaku, Kevin ‌De Bruyne and Axel Witsel.[/p][h2]Belgium's World Cup squad:[/h2][p][b]Goalkeepers: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/courtois-thibaut/MVExOq3n/"]Thibaut Courtois[/a] (Real Madrid), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lammens-senne/UFssg7X4/"]Senne Lammens[/a] (Manchester United), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/penders-mike/nyaJupUE/"]​Mike Penders[/a] (Racing Strasbourg)[/p][p][b]Defenders: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/castagne-timothy/xYfOMcA5/"]Timothy Castagne[/a] (Fulham), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/debast-zeno/UsC6jnib/"]Zeno Debast[/a] (Sporting Lisbon), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-cuyper-maxim/GGc6kPWT/"]Maxim De ‌Cuyper[/a] (Brighton & Hove Albion), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-winter-koni/EFmPm0Qo/"]Koni De Winter[/a] (AC Milan), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mechele-brandon/6k4GFuni/"]Brandon Mechele[/a] (Club Brugge), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/meunier-thomas/WUyrShAL/"]Thomas Meunier[/a] (Lille), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ngoy-nathan/x6Zak7to/"]Nathan Ngoy[/a] (Lille), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/seys-joaquin/vyuc4aCs/"]Joaquin Seys[/a] (Club Brugge), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/theate-arthur/2NA43UrT/"]Arthur Theate[/a] (Eintracht Frankfurt)[/p][p][b]Midfielders: [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-bruyne-kevin/MsPs6OI5/"]Kevin De Bruyne[/a] (Napoli), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/onana-amadou/roId3gPf/"]Amadou Onana[/a] (Aston Villa), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raskin-nicolas/xxLZVXdU/"]Nicolas Raskin[/a] (Rangers), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tielemans-youri/GtkTQyib/"]Youri Tielemans[/a] (Aston Villa), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vanaken-hans/0Cu4qHps/"]Hans Vanaken[/a] (Club Brugge), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/witsel-axel/2JsUqijl/"]Axel Witsel[/a] (Girona)[/p][p][b]Forwards:[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-ketelaere-charles/2eOa3r1T/"]Charles De Ketelaere[/a] (Atalanta), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doku-jeremy/lMHcYK4f/"]Jeremy Doku[/a] (Manchester City), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-pardo-mathias/0vPhfqq8/"]⁠Matias Fernandez-Pardo[/a] (Lille), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lukaku-romelu/dCkG0Iw0/"]Romelu Lukaku[/a] (Napoli), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lukebakio-dodi/08a9jhm9/"]Dodi ⁠Lukebakio[/a] (Benfica), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moreira-diego/0QNoKs1B/"]Diego Moreira[/a] (Racing Strasbourg), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saelemaekers-alexis/n5cPVwks/"]Alexis ‌Saelemaekers[/a] (AC Milan), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/trossard-leandro/xUAbnjp2/"]Leandro Trossard[/a] (Arsenal)[/p]