Mark van Bommel succeeds Rudi Garcia as Belgium coach
The Belgian Football Federation has officially appointed Mark van Bommel as the new coach of the Belgian national team. The Dutchman has signed a contract until the Euro-2028 tournament in the United Kingdom.
Why this is important for Belgium
The departure of Rudi Garcia has sparked widespread disappointment among fans who have expressed their discontent on social media. Mark van Bommel will have to make his predecessor forget, starting in September with the Nations League matches against Italy (September 25) and France (September 28) and then against Turkey on October 2.
What comes next?
Mark van Bommel will be assisted by his compatriot Boudewijn Zenden, former international Oranje like him, and by the Belgian Maarten Martens, former Red Devil who has established himself as a very promising head coach in recent years at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
The Belgian Football Federation announced that the contract of Rudi Garcia, at the head of the Red Devils since the beginning of 2025, would not be renewed despite the good performance of Belgium in the World Cup. Local media had reported divergences of views between the French coach and several players and with the technical director Vincent Mannaert, dissatisfied with the level of play shown by the Belgians during the group stage of the World Cup, particularly in matches against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0).
The Dutchman Mark van Bommel has been appointed coach of the Belgian national team, announced Friday the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) specifying that the Dutchman had signed a contract until the Euro-2028 tournament in the United Kingdom. The former coach of PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and Antwerp succeeds 49-year-old Frenchman Rudi Garcia whose contract was not renewed at the end of the recent World Cup, which was won by the Red Devils with a defeat (2-1) in the quarterfinals against Spain.
Van Bommel who qualifies « of immense honor (the fact) to become coach of Belgium », said he was convinced « of enormous potential » of an team he wants to « disciplined, ambitious and sufficiently courageous to rival the best », according to a statement from the RBFA.
The Dutchman Mark van Bommel will have to make his predecessor forget, starting in September with the Nations League matches against Italy (September 25) and France (September 28) and then against Turkey on October 2. The Dutchman will be assisted by his compatriot Boudewijn Zenden, former international Oranje like him, and by the Belgian Maarten Martens, former Red Devil who has established himself as a very promising head coach in recent years at AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
The Belgian Football Federation announced that the contract of Rudi Garcia, at the head of the Red Devils since the beginning of 2025, would not be renewed despite the good performance of Belgium in the World Cup. Local media had reported divergences of views between the French coach and several players and with the technical director Vincent Mannaert, dissatisfied with the level of play shown by the Belgians during the group stage of the World Cup, particularly in matches against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0).
The last result of Belgium is a defeat (2-1) in the quarterfinals against Spain on July 10, 2026. Belgium has also lost its last two matches, according to its latest ranking (3W-0D-2L, LLWWW). The next match of Belgium is against Italy on September 25, 2026.
The player Amadou Onana is currently injured.
