Belgium has unveiled its provisional 25-man squad for Euro 2024, with notable exclusions and surprising inclusions stirring discussions among fans and pundits alike. Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are among the selected players, while Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid finds himself left out.
The squad boasts a strong presence from the Premier League, with Leandro Trossard from Arsenal, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, Amadou Onana from Everton, Wout Faes from Leicester, and Timothy Castagne from Fulham making the cut.
Axel Witsel, the 35-year-old defender from Atletico Madrid, has made a remarkable return to the squad after retiring from international duty last year.
Despite Courtois’ return from an ACL injury, the 32-year-old goalkeeper has been omitted, with manager Domenico Tedesco emphasizing his focus on players in good physical condition. Tedesco cited Courtois’ decision not to join the squad last June after being overlooked for the captaincy as a factor in his exclusion.
In Courtois’ absence, Belgium will rely on Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels, Luton’s Thomas Kaminski, and Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels between the posts.
Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign kicks off in Group E against Slovakia on June 17th in Frankfurt. The squad still has the option to add one more player before UEFA’s June 7th deadline.
Here’s the complete Belgium squad:
Goalkeepers:
Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton)
Defenders:
Wout Faes (Leicester), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge)
Midfielders:
Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Amadou Onana (Everton)
Forwards:
Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Lois Openda (Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab)
