Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku makes World Cup impact in 22 seconds | Notebook

Twenty-two seconds. That’s how long Romelu Lukaku needed to make his impact felt and save a point for Belgium in its 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup opener. 

In the 66th minute, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia decided to make a change. The Red Devils had started 25-year-old striker Charles De Ketelaere, but with his team trailing Egypt by a goal, Garcia decided to give his most-proven goal scorer a chance. 

Lukaku entered the field with 65 minutes and 23 seconds on the game clock. Upon the restart, Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans lofted a long pass down the right sideline to right back Thomas Meunier, all alone behind the Egypt defense. 

The fullback drove a low cross toward the penalty spot, where the 6-foot-3 Lukaku surged forward while two Pharoah defenders tried desperately to wrestle him away from the ball. Amid the scuffle, Meunier’s cross deflected off Egyptian right back Mohamed Hany’s left foot and past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir as the clock hit 65:45. 

“He had the biggest impact,” Tielemans, the Belgian captain, said in English. “First touch. First goal.” 

While Lukaku won’t get to add Monday’s strike to his 90-goal tally for Belgium, his immediate impact is a good sign for a Belgium squad that struggled to create chances in the first half before his introduction. And it’s particularly important given that Lukaku played only five league games — all off the bench — for Italian club Napoli because of injuries. 

“He’s a target man,” Tielemans said. “He has to build up fitness, which is understandable after being out for the season. But he helps us in this way.”

Lukaku entered the 2026 World Cup surrounded by questions about whether Garcia was right to even select him for the tournament. In large part because of what happened at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

Belgium, which was the No. 2 team in the world according to the FIFA rankings before the 2022 World Cup, crashed out of the tournament during the group stage. Lukaku, who was selected for that tournament despite a lingering hamstring injury, scored zero goals in two games. 

He missed four major chances during the second half of a scoreless draw against Croatia that Belgium had to win to advance out of the group. The enduring image of Lukaku at the 2022 World Cup came shortly after the game, when he punched and shattered a plexiglass window on Belgium’s bench. 

So Garcia’s decision to select Lukaku for the 2026 World Cup raised some eyebrows. Particularly because of how little the 33-year-old striker played during the past club season. 

After playing a major part in Napoli’s fourth Serie A championship during the 2024-25 season, Lukaku’s season was derailed by a series of injuries in 2025-26. A high-grade quad injury suffered during preseason kept him sidelined for more than four months. He returned to Napoli briefly in January 2026 before inflammation in his hip flexor returned him to the treatment room until March.

Lukaku played in seven games across all competitions in 2025-26, scoring once. He did not make a single start this year, and played 63 total minutes for Napoli.

While Garcia said Lukaku isn’t capable of starting games yet as he works back toward match fitness, the veteran striker was impactful and dynamic once he entered the game. Belgium didn’t register a shot on target until the 62nd minute. De Ketelaere created one chance and didn’t take a single shot before being replaced by Lukaku. 

“If (Lukaku) can play the super-sub role, come on and score a goal, that would be great,” Garcia said.  

And the own goal Lukaku induced wasn’t his only impact. He had a shot blocked in the 78th minute, and in the 87th minute, he headed a cross from Belgium substitute Nicolas Raskin over the cross bar from near the penalty spot. While the finish was lacking, Lukaku did a good job creating space between Egypt center backs Yasser Ibrahim and Hamdi Fathy to get open for the cross. 

It’s a good sign for Lukaku and the Red Devils going forward. Belgium faces Iran on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., and will need to get a result to avoid another disappointing group-stage exit. And Lukaku’s showing against Egypt was proof the veteran striker can be impactful, even if he isn’t fully match fit. 

“The switch for Lukaku will be when he can start a game,” Garcia said. “I would say the story has got a happy ending because we didn’t think he was going to be able to come with us.” 

Belgium enjoying Seattle

While Belgium didn’t get the result they were hoping for against Egypt, Tielemans reiterated how much the Red Devils have enjoyed their time in Seattle. 

“Very good so far,” he said in English. “We’ve been here for a week. We couldn’t wait for the game, which is the most important for us. Now that the first game is gone, we can move onto the next one.”

Tielemans also shared his opinions on the conditions of the grass field at Seattle Stadium, mandated by FIFA before the World Cup started. The Seahawks, Sounders and Reign all regularly play on artificial turf. 

The Belgium captain said the grass surface played well, though the high temperatures dried it out a little bit. Tielemans noted that the hydration breaks were helpful because it allowed the field managers to run the sprinklers and keep the pitch watered.