By Open Chronicle Sports
11 September 2026 · National Teams
Thibaut Courtois will sit out Belgium’s entire 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign after reaching an agreement with new national-team coach Mark van Bommel, temporarily removing one of the Red Devils’ most experienced players from international duty.
The 34-year-old Real Madrid goalkeeper has stressed, however, that the decision is not an international retirement. Courtois intends to make himself available again when Belgium begin their qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 2028.
The decision comes at the beginning of a new cycle for Belgium. Van Bommel replaced Rudi Garcia following the World Cup and travelled to Madrid to discuss Courtois’ plans face-to-face after the goalkeeper had already indicated that he wanted additional recovery time following the tournament.
Courtois chooses recovery over Nations League
For Courtois, the central issue is physical management.
After another demanding club and international schedule, the goalkeeper believes stepping away from Belgium for the Nations League will give his body more time to recover while allowing him to concentrate on his responsibilities with Real Madrid.
Courtois confirmed that he has chosen not to participate in the entire campaign. There is only one possible exception: if Belgium suffer a serious goalkeeper injury problem, he would be willing to answer an emergency call from Van Bommel. He has also indicated that he would remain unavailable for the Nations League Finals should Belgium qualify.
It is an unusual arrangement for a player of Courtois’ status, but one that reflects the increasing challenge of managing workloads at the highest level.
At 34, Courtois remains one of Europe’s leading goalkeepers, but his priorities are increasingly shaped by maintaining his physical condition across a long season rather than playing every available international fixture.
No guarantee of the No. 1 shirt
There is another significant element to the agreement.
Van Bommel has made clear that Courtois cannot simply return for the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign and automatically reclaim Belgium’s No. 1 position.
If another goalkeeper performs strongly throughout the Nations League, the new coach may choose to retain him.
Courtois accepts that consequence.
“If the goalkeeper who plays in the Nations League performs well, Van Bommel might continue with him.”
Courtois nevertheless intends to compete for the position when he returns, saying he wants to prove that he deserves to become Belgium’s first-choice goalkeeper again.
That potentially creates one of the most interesting internal competitions of Belgium’s new era.
A major opportunity for Belgium’s other goalkeepers
Courtois’ absence means Van Bommel must identify another goalkeeper to carry Belgium through six Nations League matches.
Among the alternatives are Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens, 24, and Chelsea’s Mike Penders, 21.
For Belgium, therefore, Courtois’ decision could become more than a temporary absence.
It provides Van Bommel with an opportunity to test the next generation under competitive pressure rather than in friendlies. A goalkeeper who establishes himself during the Nations League could make the hierarchy considerably less predictable by the time Courtois returns.
That may ultimately benefit Belgium.
For much of his international career, there has been little serious debate about who should start in goal when Courtois is available. The Nations League will now provide an extended examination of the alternatives.
Van Bommel’s first major decision
The situation also represents an early test of Van Bommel’s authority.
When he was appointed Belgium coach, he acknowledged Courtois’ exceptional quality but refused to approach their discussions with a predetermined outcome. His position was that the goalkeeper’s future had to be discussed as part of the broader beginning of a new national-team cycle.
Allowing Courtois to miss the Nations League while simultaneously refusing to guarantee him his position when he returns strikes a balance between accommodating a senior player and establishing a new competitive standard.
It sends a straightforward message: reputation will matter less than performance.
Belgium face a demanding Nations League group
Courtois will consequently watch from outside the squad as Belgium begin their League A campaign in a formidable group alongside Italy, France and Türkiye.
For Van Bommel, the competition will provide an immediate test of the post-World Cup Belgium team.
The Red Devils reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup before being eliminated by eventual champions Spain, and the Nations League now becomes the first sustained opportunity for the new coach to begin reshaping the side.
Courtois’ absence accelerates that process in one of the most important positions on the pitch.
A pause, not the end
The larger question inevitably concerns whether Courtois will actually return.
His international career already spans 115 appearances for Belgium, and the goalkeeper has explicitly rejected the suggestion that his Nations League decision represents a farewell.
His target remains the Euro 2028 cycle.
But by the time he returns, Belgium may have changed.
Another goalkeeper could have established himself. Van Bommel will have had months to develop his own hierarchy. A team emerging from one generation and moving toward another may look different from the side Courtois left after the World Cup.
That is precisely why the decision carries greater significance than simply missing six matches.
For the first time in years, Belgium will enter an extended competitive campaign knowing that the goalkeeper’s position is genuinely open.
Courtois intends to come back and win it again.