Mark van Bommel has been appointed head coach of the Belgium national team on a contract running through Euro 2028, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) announced on Friday.
The 49-year-old Dutchman succeeds Rudi Garcia, whose departure was confirmed after Belgium's quarter-final exit to eventual world champions Spain at the 2026 World Cup. Van Bommel will officially begin his tenure on 15 August.
"It is a great honour to become head coach of Belgium," Van Bommel said. "Belgium has outstanding players and enormous potential. Together with my coaching staff, we want to build a team that is disciplined, ambitious and brave enough to compete with the very best."
Van Bommel arrives with a strong coaching pedigree. He most recently managed Royal Antwerp, guiding the club to a historic league and cup double in 2023 — Antwerp's first league title since 1957. His coaching career also includes spells at PSV Eindhoven and VfL Wolfsburg.
As a player, Van Bommel represented European giants Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, winning the Champions League with Bayern in 2013. He also captained the Netherlands side that reached the 2010 World Cup final, ultimately losing to Spain.
Van Bommel will be assisted by Boudewijn Zenden, Maarten Martens and Reinier Robbemond. His early fixtures will include UEFA Nations League matches against Italy, France and Turkey in September and October.
"Success is never guaranteed, but hard work, honesty and commitment are," Van Bommel added. "We will give everything to help this team improve every day and make the Belgian people proud."
RBFA sporting director Vincent Mannaert expressed confidence in the appointment: "I am convinced that, with his international experience as both a coach and player, he will be perfectly placed to help our Belgian Red Devils continue to improve."
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/belgium-coach-van-bommel-777013606cc51c49273ca31a2391bd4b
- https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mark-van-bommel-appointed-belgium-132725323.html
