Belgium has introduced its new national team coach—and he goes by the illustrious name of Mark van Bommel. The Dutchman is set to lead the World Cup quarterfinalists to the 2028 European Championship.
The “coach shake-up” following the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico was remarkable. In Group A—which included co-host Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic—all four nations, for example, were looking for a new coach after the tournament. But top nations such as Germany, Portugal, Croatia, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium also made changes.
In Belgium, following the departure of Rudi Garcia (who had been in office since January 2025), the appointment has now been finalized: Mark van Bommel will take over the national team and is set to lead it to the next European Championship under a contract running through the summer of 2028. The tournament will take place from June 9 to July 9, 2028, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
“The Royal Belgian Football Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark van Bommel as the new head coach of Belgium’s ‘Red Devils,’ effective August 15, 2026,” the association stated via Instagram. Van Bommel himself said it was “a great honor to become Belgium’s head coach.” “The country has outstanding players and enormous potential. Together with my coaching staff, we want to build a team that is disciplined, ambitious, and courageous enough to compete with the best. Success is never guaranteed, but hard work, honesty, and dedication certainly are.” The coaching staff includes former professionals Boudewijn Zenden, Maarten Martens, and Reinier Robbemond.
The Belgians, who advanced to the quarterfinals in the recently concluded World Cup and were narrowly defeated there by defending champion Spain, would like to be in the running for the top spots in two years’ time. To do so, however, the Red Devils must first qualify—and put together a competitive squad.
To do so, however, van Bommel will likely have to navigate a major overhaul. With an average age of 29.1 years, Belgium had the second-oldest squad among the eight quarterfinalists, behind World Cup runner-up Argentina (average age of 29.3 years). Key players such as Thibaut Courtois (34), Kevin De Bruyne (35), and Romelu Lukaku (33) are entering the twilight of their careers.
Italy, France, and Turkey await right away
Van Bommel, who made 123 Bundesliga appearances for FC Bayern as a professional and ended his playing career in the summer of 2013, began his coaching career in January 2014 as an assistant coach for the Dutch U-17 national team. From 2015 to 2017, he served as an assistant coach for the Saudi Arabian national team, and from January 2018 through the summer of 2018, for the Australian national team.
Van Bommel gained experience as a head coach starting in the summer of 2018, spending a year and a half at PSV Eindhoven, just under four months at VfL Wolfsburg, and then two years—until June 2024—at Royal Antwerp. More than two years after his last coaching role, van Bommel is now taking on this challenge in Belgium.
And with the Nations League, it’s a tough start right off the bat: Van Bommel will make his debut in an away match in Italy on September 25; three days later, World Cup semifinalist France will visit Belgium, before Turkey takes on the Red Devils in early October.
