Youri Tielemans

Youri Tielemans is the Belgium captain, named in Rudi Garcia's final 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup and listed in the midfield group. The Aston Villa midfielder is 29 at kick-off and brings 83 senior Belgium caps and 12 international goals into the tournament. The 15 May 2026 squad announcement explicitly named him as captain at what is his third senior World Cup.

Belgium face Egypt, Iran and New Zealand in Group G, opening against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle on 15 June. Garcia's side won UEFA Group J to qualify on 18 November 2025, with the highest UEFA-qualifying take-on volume — 201 — and 491 box touches across the campaign, the latter 101 clear of Croatia in second place.

Tielemans is a versatile midfielder. He began as a holding midfielder at Anderlecht before moving to a more attacking role, with long-range goals defining the senior career. Leicester used him as a box-to-box midfielder, and under Unai Emery at Aston Villa he is frequently a number 10 making progressive passes and recovering possession. In November 2024 he set a Premier League record for a single match with 126 successful passes.

As Belgium's captain, Tielemans sits at the centre of the £24m team-card profile within the game's £200m card budget. The Aston Villa number 10 brings 12 international goals, the Premier League pass-completion record and the box-to-box range Garcia can deploy across the midfield. Group G opens against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle on 15 June, with Iran and New Zealand later on the matchday lane.