World Cup Round of 32: Belgium vs Senegal official line-ups announced
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Official starting line-ups have been announced for the World Cup Round of 32 match between Belgium and Senegal.
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Attributed to original sourceThere are numerous Serie A players in tonight’s World Cup tie between Belgium and Senegal, as Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere take on Assane Diao with a forced change in goal.
It kicks off in Seattle at 21.00 UK time (22.00 CEST) for the Round of 32.
The winners of this match will go on to face either the USA or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 16.
RIJEKA, CROATIA – JUNE 02: Romelu Lukaku of Belgium celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the international friendly match between Croatia and Belgium at Stadion HNK Rijeka on June 02, 2026 in Rijeka, Croatia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images) Belgium are packed with Serie A talent, including Napoli centre-forward Romelu Lukaku and Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers on the bench.
De Bruyne pulls the midfield strings after a difficult first season at Napoli, but the surprising choice as False 9 is De Ketelaere of Atalanta.
Zeno Debast is unavailable in defence due to a muscular problem.
BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 10: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta BC celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Torino FC at Gewiss Stadium on January 10, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images) This has been a poor tournament so far for Rudi Garcia’s Belgium, as they scraped draws against Egypt and Iran before smashing New Zealand 5-1.
Belgium will face Italy in the Nations League in September.
Senegal also stuttered, losing to France and Norway in quite tight games, before convincingly thrashing Iraq 5-0 to secure qualification.
The only Serie A player in the Senegal squad is Assane Diao of Como, but the 20-year-old is hoping to make an impact off the bench.
There was bad news for the African team just hours before the game, because goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was forced to pull out due to an injury.
It means Yevhann Diouf will have to take the gloves and make his debut in this World Cup campaign.
COMO, ITALY – MARCH 22: Assane Diao of Como 1907 celebrates after scoring their team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Pisa SC at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Belgium vs. Senegal line-ups Belgium: Courtois; Castagne, Mechele, Theate, De Cuyper; Vanaken, Tielemans; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; De Ketelaere
Senegal: Mory Diaw; Diatta, Ciss, Niakhaté, Jakobs; H Diarra, I Gueye, P Gueye; I Ndiaye, Sarr, Mané
01-07-2026 21:00
Round of 32
Lumen Field
Belgium
Senegal
vs
Season Analytics
Belgium
Positions
Senegal
SEASON TOTAL BEL HOME 0 2 0 1 2 0 Last matches 27-06-2026
New Zealand
W
1 - 5
21-06-2026
Iran
D
0 - 0
15-06-2026
Egypt
D
1 - 1
21-06-2026
Iran
D
0 - 0
15-06-2026
Egypt
D
1 - 1
SEASON TOTAL SEN AWAY 0 0 2 1 0 2 Last matches
5 - 0
W
Iraq
26-06-2026
3 - 2
L
Norway
23-06-2026
3 - 1
L
France
16-06-2026
3 - 2
L
Norway
23-06-2026
3 - 1
L
France
16-06-2026
Belgium
Senegal
Starting lineups
1
Thibaut Courtois Goalkeeper
3
Arthur Theate Defender
4
Brandon Mechele Defender
5
Maxim De Cuyper Defender
21
Timothy Castagne Defender
20
Hans Vanaken Midfielder
7
Kevin De Bruyne Midfielder
8
Youri Tielemans Midfielder
17
Charles De Ketelaere Attacker
11
Jérémy Doku Attacker
10
Leandro Trossard Attacker
23
Mory Diaw Goalkeeper
14
Ismail Jakobs Defender
19
Moussa Niakhaté Defender
21
Habib Diarra Midfielder
5
Idrissa Gueye Midfielder
15
Krépin Diatta Midfielder
26
Pape Gueye Midfielder
6
Pathé Ciss Midfielder
13
Iliman Ndiaye Attacker
18
Ismaïla Sarr Attacker
10
Sadio Mané Attacker
Substitutes
22
Alexis Saelemaekers Midfielder
16
Koni De Winter Defender
6
Axel Witsel Midfielder
15
Thomas Meunier Defender
9
Romelu Lukaku Attacker
12
Senne Lammens Goalkeeper
23
Nicolas Raskin Midfielder
24
Amadou Onana Midfielder
14
Dodi Lukébakio Attacker
19
Diego Moreira Attacker
26
Matias Fernandez-Pardo Attacker
13
Mike Penders Goalkeeper
18
Joaquin Seys Defender
25
Nathan Ngoy Defender
3
Kalidou Koulibaly Defender
9
Bamba Dieng Attacker
4
Abdoulaye Seck Defender
17
Pape Matar Sarr Midfielder
11
Nicolas Jackson Attacker
24
Antoine Mendy Defender
12
Cherif Ndiaye Attacker
7
Assane Diao Attacker
25
El Hadji Malick Diouf Defender
20
Ibrahim Mbaye Attacker
8
Lamine Camara Midfielder
1
Yehvann Diouf Goalkeeper
2
Mamadou Sarr Defender
22
Bara Sapoko Ndiaye Midfielder
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What happened
The official line-ups for the World Cup Round of 32 clash between Belgium and Senegal have been confirmed. Both teams' starting XIs are now available, giving fans and analysts a clear picture of the tactical setups each side will deploy. The match is part of the knockout stage of the tournament.
Chance analysis
Official line-up announcements are high-value for match prediction systems as they confirm player availability, tactical formation, and potential strategic intent. Knowing the exact starting XI allows for precise player-level impact modeling. This is a World Cup knockout match, so squad rotation risk is low and the named starters are likely the strongest available options.
Both teams have confirmed availability and tactical approach, removing lineup uncertainty for this World Cup knockout match.
Use confirmed line-ups to update player-level availability and tactical formation models for Belgium vs Senegal.