Fulham right back Timothy Castagne has been selected in Belgium’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. It will be his second World Cup, after also being selected in 2022.
Fulham defender Timothy Castagne has been selected in the Belgium squad for the 2026 World Cup.
With the tournament fast approaching, the 30-year-old received the call-up to what is a squad that is certainly packed full of exciting talent.
Castagne will be looking to right the wrongs of the 2022 tournament, when Belgium were knocked out in the group stage in Qatar.
It has been a season for Fulham in which Castagne has had to play second fiddle to Kenny Tete for much of the campaign, but in which he came to the core of the side when the Dutchman was injured.
Since then, he has been an important member of the starting XI and it was his ball into the box that effectively created Ryan Sessegnon’s winning goal against Aston Villa.
Castagne has played in 33 matches in all competitions so far for Fulham, 28 of which have come in the Premier League.
The former Genk defender is one of several experienced members of the squad.
He will likely be competing with Lille’s Thomas Meunier for the spot on the right side of the defence, with the pair amassing significant experience over the years across Europe.
Castagne now has 62 caps for his country but there are players with significantly more.
Meunier himself has 78 but in former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and former Everton, West Brom, Chelsea and Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku, Belgium have three players with over 100 caps.
Axel Witsel, currently plying his trade at Girona in Spain, is also selected at the age of 37 with his 136 caps.
Castagne is one of seven Premier League players included in the squad, alongside goalkeeper Senne Lammens of Manchester United, Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, Aston Villa duo Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard.
Belgium begin their World Cup campaign against Egypt on June 15 in Seattle, before they face Iran on June 21 in Los Angeles and New Zealand on June 27 in Vancouver.
They are facing Croatia on June 2 and Tunisia on June 6 in preparation for the World Cup.
Belgium have never won the World Cup or reached a final, but they did finish third in 2018, with Eden Hazard inspiring them to victory over England in the thrid-place play-off in Russia to secure an historic bronze medal.