Mark van Bommel appointed new head coach of Belgian national football team

Mark van Bommel, the former Dutch international footballer, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Belgian national team. The Belgian FA announced the two-year contract on Friday, which will see him lead the team through the qualification cycle for the 2028 European Championship.

The 49-year-old succeeds Rudi Garcia, whose contract was not renewed despite Belgium reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup. In that tournament, Belgium was the only team to score against Spain, the eventual world champions, who boasted the best defense.

Van Bommel is well-regarded in Belgium for his successful tenure at Antwerp. He guided the club to a historic domestic double in the 2022-2023 season. He is praised for his man-management skills and tactical expertise, areas where Garcia reportedly faced criticism.

"It is a great honor to become the coach of Belgium," Van Bommel stated in a release from the FA. "I would like to thank the Royal Belgian Football Association for the trust placed in me. Belgium has exceptional 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 best."

During his playing career, Van Bommel earned 79 caps for the Netherlands, reaching the World Cup final in 2010. He played for top European clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan. His coaching experience also includes spells at PSV Eindhoven and Wolfsburg, though he has been out of management for the past two years since leaving Antwerp.

Van Bommel's first competitive match in charge will be against Italy in the Nations League in Rome on September 25th. Belgium will play four matches in ten days, hosting France in Brussels on September 28th, Turkey in Liege on October 2nd, and concluding the series with an away game in Paris on October 5th. His new coaching staff will include former Dutch international Boudewijn Zenden, ex-Belgian international Maarten Martens, and Reinier Robbemond, a former assistant to Van Bommel.