Romelu Lukaku — Belgium World Cup 2026 Squad

Romelu Lukaku stands as Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 77 international goals, a record that defines his decade-long grip on the national team's No. 9 position. A polarizing figure whose career oscillates between devastating finishing and public controversy, Lukaku enters the 2026 World Cup on the back of a resurgent season at Napoli, where he reunited with Antonio Conte and rediscovered the ruthless streak that eluded him during turbulent spells at Chelsea and his second stint at Inter Milan.

Career Highlights

Lukaku surpassed Bernard Voorhoof's 84-year-old Belgian scoring record in 2017 and has since pushed the tally to 77 goals across 120 caps. He finished as top scorer in Euro 2020 qualifying with 14 goals and netted four times at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, including a brace against Panama. His club career has produced over 250 goals across Anderlecht, Everton, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Roma, and Napoli. The 2024-25 season at Napoli marked a return to the 20-goal threshold in Serie A, silencing critics who questioned his decline after a fractured spell at Chelsea yielded only eight Premier League goals.

Club Career

Lukaku's club journey reads as a series of reinventions. He scored 87 goals in 166 appearances across two spells at Inter Milan, where he formed a devastating partnership with Lautaro Martinez under Conte. Chelsea paid Inter a club-record fee in 2021 but the move collapsed into loan spells back at Inter and then Roma. At Napoli, Conte handed him the focal role again, and Lukaku delivered double-figure league goals by January, showcasing the hold-up play and aerial dominance that make him a system-dependent but highly effective center forward.

International Career & World Cup History

At the 2018 World Cup, Lukaku scored four goals as Belgium reached the semi-finals, including two in the 3-2 quarter-final win over Brazil. The 2022 tournament in Qatar proved traumatic: limited by a hamstring injury and substituted in the group-stage defeat to Morocco, he missed three clear chances in the must-win match against Croatia that would have sent Belgium through. Post-match tears in front of television cameras crystallized his complicated relationship with Belgian supporters. Despite the fallout, he remained the first name on the teamsheet in qualifying for 2026.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

At 32, Lukaku faces what is likely his final World Cup as a starter. Belgium's transition under manager Domenico Tedesco has reduced dependence on the golden generation, but Lukaku's scoring record in qualifying — he netted seven times in six matches — confirms his continued centrality. His partnership with Kevin De Bruyne remains Belgium's most productive axis. If fit, he starts every match. The question is whether Napoli's tactical setup under Conte, which maximizes his physicality, can translate to a Belgian system that asks him to operate with less service and more isolation.