A host of household names are unlikely to still be in the picture by the time the next global tournament rolls around for the Red Devils.
It's official, then: Belgium's 'Golden Generation' is over. Their miserable group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup confirmed as much, as an ageing squad of star names struggled to stamp any kind of authority on the tournament before heading home after three games.
Manager Roberto Martinez has already confirmed his departure, and this will surely be the last go around for a number of the team's stalwarts.
Euro 2024 is only 18 months away, so some players might feel they have one more international tournament in them, but it feels highly unlikely that veterans like Toby Alderweireld, Axel Witsel and Jan Vertonghen will make it all the way to the 2026 World Cup.
Injuries probably mean that Eden Hazard has also played his last World Cup, while Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will have to weigh up whether they can face another cycle while playing for what is likely to be a much-inferior team than they are used to.
That is not to say Belgium do not have talented young players coming through, with some already part of the senior international squad. But who will be lining-up for them in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026, presuming they qualify?
GOAL has had a go at predicting their next World Cup XI…
Getty ImagesGK: Thibaut Courtois
Given how well goalkeepers tend to deal with the ageing process, it would be no surprise if Courtois remains ones of the world's best in 2026.
The Real Madrid star will be 34 but that is unlikely to be a barrier to him getting the nod between the sticks.
If he doesn't, then his likely replacement will be Maarten Vandevoordt, who has been dubbed 'the new Courtois' after impressing for Genk and should be RB Leipzig's number one by that point, after agreeing to join the Bundesliga side from 2024 onwards.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesCB: Zeno Debast
Debast only became a regular in the Anderlecht first team at the start of the current season but the teenager showed enough to be named in Belgium's squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Fast-forward three-and-a-half years, then, and the expectation will be for 'the new Vincent Kompany' to have become a mainstay of the Red Devils' defence.
Currently most comfortable in a back-three due to his ball-playing ability, Debast will likely have developed his own game in that time, particularly if he signs for a club like Liverpool or Borussia Dortmund, who are said to be interested in him at present.
Getty ImagesCB: Wout Faes
Signed to help replace Wesley Fofana, Faes has been key to Leicester City's revival following their difficult start to the Premier League season, and there were some who felt he should have started at the 2022 World Cup in light of his fine form.
He will be 28, in the middle of his prime years, at the next edition, so expect Faes to be one of the leaders of Belgium's next generation.
Getty ImagesCB: Leander Dendoncker
Despite being 27, Dendoncker was the junior member of the Belgium defence in Qatar, and his versatility should mean he is again involved in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Whether the Aston Villa man is playing more in defence or midfield come 2026 remains to be seen, but expect him to be one of the more experienced members of the Red Devils' next World Cup squad.
Should Dendoncker not start, another option could be Arthur Theate, who was part of the 2022 squad having impressed for Rennes in Ligue 1.