Belgium’s soccer federation announced on Friday the appointment of Rudi Garcia as the new head coach of the national team.
The 60-year-old Garcia, known for his stints at top clubs such as Napoli, Marseille, and Roma, steps into his first role managing a national team after a long and varied career.
Garcia succeeds Domenico Tedesco, who was dismissed last week following an unsuccessful attempt to rejuvenate the squad.
The Frenchman first rose to prominence as a coach during his tenure at Lille, where he managed from 2008 to 2013.
Tedesco, appointed in February 2023, had been tasked with revamping the Red Devils after a lackluster conclusion to Roberto Martínez’s tenure at the World Cup.
However, his time in charge fell short of expectations, with underwhelming results at the 2024 European Championships, where Belgium exited in the round of 16 after a loss to France, as well as in the Nations League.
Belgium set to face Ukraine in March relegation play-off.
Belgium will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying journey in June with an away match against North Macedonia.
