Belgium are moving on. The country's football association confirmed Monday that Rudi Garcia's contract, which expires at the end of July, will not be renewed — ending an 18-month stint that peaked with a World Cup quarter-final and never really convinced anyone along the way.
Garcia guided the Red Devils to the last eight, where Spain — the eventual winners — put them out. Reaching the quarter-finals of a World Cup is objectively a decent result. But decent isn't what Belgium's golden generation was supposed to settle for, and the football itself left plenty to be desired throughout the tournament.
What Mannaert actually said
Sports director Vincent Mannaert was diplomatic in the statement, crediting Garcia with "restoring team cohesion" in what he described as a "challenging sporting and financial context." That's federation-speak for: things were a mess when he arrived, and he steadied the ship. Whether steadying the ship was enough is a different question.
"Together with my team, I am currently preparing for a new cycle, including the appointment of a new national coach," Mannaert added. So the search is already underway.
Garcia, 62, took the job with Belgium in a rebuilding phase — the tail end of a generation that promised so much and ultimately delivered so little at major tournaments. He leaves with his reputation intact but not exactly burnished. Quarter-final exits don't move the needle on a CV that already includes Marseille, Roma, and Lyon.
What comes next
Belgium's next competitive cycle means Nations League football before Euro 2028 qualifying kicks in. The squad is in genuine transition — fewer of the household names that defined the "golden generation," more reliance on a younger core that still needs direction and identity. Whoever takes the job inherits a project, not a finished product.
The odds on Belgium making noise at the next Euros will depend almost entirely on who walks through the door next. Right now, that seat is empty.
