Axel Witsel believes Belgium can still challenge at the 2026 World Cup, thanks to a strong mix of veteran players and emerging talent in the 26-man squad, even though external predictions place the Red Devils behind leading favourites such as France, Spain and Argentina.

The Opta supercomputer gives Belgium only a 3% chance of lifting the trophy, a figure Witsel accepts as realistic. The midfielder still feels the squad has enough quality and experience to compete well in North America against higher-ranked opponents.

The 2026 selection brings together senior figures and rising stars after criticism of the previous cycle. In Qatar in 2022, 11 of the 26 squad members were at least 30 years old, leading many observers to argue that the best window for Belgium’s so-called Golden Generation between 2014 and 2022 had already passed.

That group included Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thomas Meunier and Thibaut Courtois, who all return again for North America. Witsel is now at a fourth World Cup and, alongside those names, sits among the most seasoned members of the current Belgium World Cup squad.

Witsel highlighted how the veterans see their job within this refreshed group. “I think it’s important to have balance, and a really good mix between the new, the new generation and, I would say, the old one,” Witsel told Flashscore. “I think it’s really important to have a really good mood, and that’s why now there is me, but there is Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Courtois also now started to be a little bit older. I’m not the only one, but we are there to make life easier for the younger players, and I think for the World Cup, it’s always important to have some extra experience.”

Recent friendly results provide encouragement. Belgium defeated Croatia and then produced a 5-0 win over Tunisia on 6 June, which stands as their biggest victory immediately before any World Cup finals. They have scored at least five goals in five of their last 10 games, matching the total from the previous 63 internationals combined.

Jeremy Doku played a central role against Tunisia, delivering two assists and creating eight chances at Stade Roi Baudouin. It is the third time in Doku’s international career that the winger has created eight opportunities in one match, underlining why Witsel points to Doku, Charles De Ketelaere and Dodi Lukebakio as younger players entering the tournament in strong form.

Belgium World Cup squad history and expectations

Witsel also reflected on how Belgium reached this point. Under Roberto Martinez, the team finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but failed to progress from the group stage in Qatar. Those results shape current expectations and colour how the older players assess their long spell together at major tournaments.

Looking back, Witsel said: “I think with the generation we had, we did amazing things. In 2018, we finished in third place. For us, it was really amazing at that time. Nobody expected Belgium to be there, but we can have a kind of feeling, maybe we could do it a different way or a little bit better. When we arrived in the semi-final, anything could happen. Today, maybe it’s different. We have to be honest with ourselves.”

Witsel accepts that other contenders currently appear stronger. “In my opinion, there are countries stronger than us, like France, for example,” Witsel continued. “I mean, they are a really, really strong team. Then you have Spain and Argentina, so we are in a different world today. All the time in the World Cup, you have surprises, a team who go really far, like last time, for example, in Qatar with Morocco, for example.”

Belgium open their Group G campaign against Egypt on Monday, then meet Iran and New Zealand. Witsel and the senior core aim to guide the younger players through those fixtures, hoping that the current scoring form, improved balance in the Belgium World Cup squad and lessons from past tournaments can produce a deeper run than in Qatar.