Perennial dark horses Belgium once again head to a tournament believing they have a team capable of causing a shock as outsiders. That comes after qualifying for a fourth consecutive World Cup, and a period of rebuilding after a disappointing group stage exit in 2022.

Which Chelsea players do Belgium have?

Following an impressive season on loan at Strasbourg, Penders has broken into Rudi Garcia’s squad just in time for the World Cup. Although he is yet to make his senior international debut, he was among the substitutes for their qualifying win over Liechtenstein in November and warm-up friendly victory against Croatia earlier this week.

Who else is in Belgium’s squad?

Former Chelsea players Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Diego Moreira join Penders in the Belgium squad. There are several other familiar names on the list after Garcia named a group big on experience, which also includes tournament veterans Timothy Castagne, Thomas Meunier, Youri Tielemans and Axel Witsel.

Penders is among the new generation adding youth to that experience, alongside the likes of Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Chelsea)

Defenders: Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Zeno Debast (Sporting Lisbon), Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton & Hove Albion), Koni De Winter (AC Milan), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Nathan Ngoy (Lille), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Axel Witsel (Girona)

Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Dodi Lukebakio (Benfica), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Alexis Saelemekars (AC Milan), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)

What teams are in Belgium’s group?

Belgium head into the World Cup as strong favourites in Group G. They will be wary of Egypt though, as the Africans aim to finally carry their continental success onto the global stage after an unbeaten qualifying campaign. They will also face regular Asian qualifiers Iran and Oceania’s sole representative at the World Cup, New Zealand.

When are Belgium’s fixtures?

Belgium vs Egypt, Seattle, Monday 15 June, 8pm

Belgium vs Iran, Los Angeles, Sunday 21 June, 8pm

New Zealand vs Belgium, Vancouver, Saturday 27 June, 4am

All times are UK

How did Belgium qualify?

After starting with a morale-boosting comeback in a Nations League play-off with Ukraine, Garcia built confidence and momentum in his team over the course of their qualifying campaign.

They finished top of their group with an unbeaten record – five wins and three draws – securing their place at the World Cup in their last game with an emphatic 7-0 win over Liechtenstein.

What is Belgium’s World Cup history?

Despite being regulars at the World Cup and one of the few European teams to have competed at the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930, successes were few and far between for Belgium for most of their history.

That began to change with the emergence of several talented players a decade ago, many of whom remain in the squad, and their run to the semi-finals and an eventual best-ever third-place finish in 2018. However, they were unable to build on that success in 2022, when defeats to Morocco and Croatia knocked them out in the group stage.