Uncapped left back Diego Moreira has been called up to the Belgium national team for the first time, just one day after FIFA approved his switch of nationality from Portugal. The 20-year-old, who was born in Belgium and represented the nation at under-15 level, had previously played for Portugal’s youth teams, including the under-21s as recently as March in a 4-2 loss to England.
Belgium’s new head coach Rudi Garcia made the bold move in his first major squad announcement, including Moreira in the 26-man roster for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. The Red Devils are set to face North Macedonia in Skopje on June 6 and Wales in Brussels on July 9 as part of Group J action.
“He is a young but professional player who wants to commit himself to a sporting project,” Garcia said during Tuesday’s press conference. “He has had an excellent season. So this is a signal for all young players who are doing well.”
Garcia reaffirmed his confidence in veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who remains captain despite his departure from Manchester City at the end of the season.
“I have full confidence in De Bruyne and the choice he will make for his future,” Garcia said. “He had ten tremendous seasons at Manchester City. Kevin is one of the best footballers ever and is the conductor of the Red Devils.”
There was good news for Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana, who returns from injury. However, Fulham full back Timothy Castagne misses out after undergoing recent ankle surgery.
Full Belgium Squad for June/July World Cup Qualifiers:
Goalkeepers:
- Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
- Senne Lammens (Antwerp)
- Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
- Maarten Vandevoort (RB Leipzig)
Defenders:
- Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon)
- Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)
- Koni De Winter (Genoa)
- Wout Faes (Leicester City)
- Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge)
- Thomas Meunier (Lille)
- Diego Moreira (Strasbourg)
- Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Midfielders:
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Jorthy Mokio (Ajax Amsterdam)
- Amadou Onana (Aston Villa)
- Nicolas Raskin (Rangers)
- Alexis Saelemaekers (AS Roma)
- Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa)
- Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge)
Forwards:
- Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
- Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
- Malick Fofana (Olympique Lyonnais)
- Romelu Lukaku (Napoli)
- Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla)
- Lois Openda (RB Leipzig)
- Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
With new faces and experienced leaders, Belgium looks to begin their World Cup qualification campaign with confidence and renewed ambition under Garcia’s leadership.
