Rudi Garcia out as Belgium manager as Mark van Bommel leads list of candidates to take over | OneFootball

Rudi Garcia has left the Belgian national team set up. The head coach spent over a year and a half with Belgium and led the side to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, where they lost to eventual winners Spain. Remarkably, Belgium were the only side to score a goal against the World Cup winners during the entire tournament. However, that run was not enough for Garcia to see his contract extended, and he leaves on a reasonable high considering the state of the national team when he took over.

As reported by HNB and other Belgian papers, one of the top names on the Belgian FAs list to take over is former Antwerp head coach Mark van Bommel. The former Dutch international was considered last time Belgium had a head coaching vacancy after Domenico Tedesco was sacked, but they ultimately went for Garcia instead. Van Bommel left Antwerp in 2024 having won the league title and two domestic cups. Yet he has not been working since, despite being linked with a number of clubs in Belgium and other leagues.

Van Bommel, prior to his success with Antwerp, had managed at PSV and Wolfsburg. His two managerial tenures had been characterised by fantastic starts before dramatic drop offs midway through the season. His Antwerp title winning side almost had the same problem, only to rally and then win the Belgian Pro League in a dramatic final day clash with Genk.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson