MX23RW : Thursday, December 19 12:11:25| >> :600:1911120:1911120:

Belgium Euro 2024 squad: Who makes the cut? Which stars have missed out?

Belgium Euro 2024 squad: Who makes the cut? Which stars have missed out?
© Reuters
Belgium name their 25-man squad for Euro 2024, but what players have made the cut and who has missed out?

Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco has selected his 25-player squad for Euro 2024.

UEFA confirmed earlier this month that squad sizes have been increased from 23 to 26 players for this year's eagerly-anticipated continental tournament, and all squads must include at least three goalkeepers.

While most nations took the approach of initially selecting a group of players that exceeds the squad limits with friendlies planned beforehand, Tedesco instead took a different decision.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the Belgium players that have been selected, and which players have missed out on being in contention for the tournament in Germany, which begins on June 14.


Belgium's Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Aster Vranckx on November 19, 2023© Reuters

Which Belgian stars have been selected?

Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer Romelu Lukaku is the headline name in this squad - the forward has netted 21 times for Roma this season.

Lukaku technically counts as a Premier League representative given his contract with Chelsea, and there are are eight other players from England's top flight that are present in the squad.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne is the other star attraction, with City teammate Jeremy Doku and Arsenal's Leandro Trossard also tasked with contributing in the final third.

Midfield pair Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana - of Aston Villa and Everton respectively - are also involved, as expected, with Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, Fulham full-back Timothy Castagne and Leicester City centre-back Wout Faes selected by Tedesco.

RB Leipzig star Lois Openda will hope to make an impact in attack, as will PSV Eindhoven's Johan Bakayoko and Atalanta BC's Charles De Ketelaere who have both enjoyed strong individual campaigns.

Thirty-seven-year-old defender Jan Vertonghen will hope to add to his 154 caps, while Axel Witsel is a surprise inclusion having announced his international retirement last year.


Which Belgian stars will miss Euro 2024?

Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois on May 4, 2024© Reuters

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has recently recovered from a serious knee injury to to make four starts for Real Madrid in La Liga.

However, the 32-year-old has been left out by Tedesco. As well as a public fallout with his head coach last year over the captaincy, Courtois has previously acknowledged he would not participate at the tournament.

Michy Batshuayi has also been omitted, despite his 27 goals from 55 appearances in a Belgium shirt. The 30-year-old only made four starts for Fenerbahce in Super Lig this campaign, yet ended it with 12 strikes.


What are Belgium's pre-tournament plans?

Belgium played Montenegro on June and came away with a 2-0 victory, before they backed that up with a 3-0 success over Luxembourg, Lukaku scoring two of the goals to take his international tally to 85.

Their first fixture in Euro 2024 is not until June 17, when they play Slovakia, with matches against Romania and Ukraine to follow.


Belgium's 25-player provisional squad in full

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)

Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg)

Forwards: Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta BC), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).


Group and fixtures

Euro 2024 Group E (26/06)

June 17: Belgium 0-1 Slovakia (5pm | Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt)
June 22: Belgium 2-0 Romania (8pm | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)
June 26: Ukraine 0-0 Belgium (5pm | MHPArena, Stuttgart)


ID:544661:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7972:
Written by
Darren Plant
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Italy players celebrate qualifying for Euro 2024 on November 20, 2023
Read Next:
Euro 2024: Confirmed teams, favourites and everything you need to know about this summer's tournament in Germany
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!