Mika Godts was not included in Rudi Garcia’s World Cup selection, a decision that has prompted surprise and criticism in both Belgium and the Netherlands less than a month before the tournament opens.
For Godts, the omission is immediate and personal: he will not travel with the Rode Duivels to the United States and Canada for the World Cup and will miss Belgium’s first match on 15 June against Egypt.
The clearest public reaction came from Johan Boskamp, the veteran analyst and former coach, who said the choice was baffling to many across the border. "In Nederland begrijpen ze er helemaal niets van," he said, and added that Godts’s place on the shortlist should have been obvious to observers who follow his club performances. "Als je zoveel goals maakt en zo beslissend bent bij een club als Ajax, dan verwacht je er natuurlijk wel bij te zijn."
Boskamp did not ignore the other side of the ledger. He reminded audiences that Godts has a history of withdrawing from youth international duty, a fact he suggested may have weighed on selectors: "Hij heeft in het verleden altijd afgezegd voor Jong België." He also pushed back on critics who dismiss domestic competition, noting: "Hein Vanhaezebrouck (bekende Belgische analist en oud-trainer, red) mag wel beweren dat hij in een zwakke competitie speelt, maar dat neemt niet weg dat die jongen geweldig kan voetballen." Boskamp closed his assessment with a blunt personal note: "Dit zal dus wel een stevig tikkie zijn voor Godts."
That reaction sits against a more strategic explanation offered by Philippe Albert, another former international and now analyst, who framed the omission as part of a defensive rebalancing by Garcia. "Ik was verrast dat hij Koni De Winter erbij neemt, maar dat komt omdat hij een extra verdediger selecteerde," Albert said, before pointing to the spreadsheet-level choice behind the move: "Ze zullen met negen verdedigers zijn, ik dacht dat hij er acht zou nemen."
Albert spelled out the likely motive in plain terms: "Ik vermoed dat het is om de blessure van Debast op te vangen." Zeno Debast’s fitness had been flagged as a question in the build-up to the tournament, and Albert described the squad composition as a precautionary tack toward cover rather than a direct rebuke of any attacking player left on the outside.
Albert noted other squad dynamics at play. He called the appearance of Matias Fernandez-Pardo a boost for Belgium: "Het is supergoed nieuws voor ons dat hij voor België gekozen heeft." He argued Fernandez-Pardo’s speed could be useful against stronger teams: "Tegen grote landen kan zijn snelheid bijzonder interessant zijn." On young Malick Fofana he offered a more cautious read: "De speler van Lyon, als hij in vorm is, is degene wiens profiel het dichtst aanleunt bij dat van Jérémy Doku," but warned that "Fofana heeft dit seizoen last gehad van blessures en mist ritme." He also noted the wider question marks in the squad: "Er zijn een paar vraagtekens, zoals de blessure van Zeno Debast of de vorm van Romelu Lukaku, maar ik denk dat het wel goed komt voor hen," while reminding listeners that Romelu Lukaku "speelde dit seizoen heel weinig" in Serie A voor Napoli.
Albert will not make the trip himself because of health issues, a decision he confirmed alongside his tactical comments: he will not travel to the United States and Canada for the World Cup because of health problems.
Context matters: the omission of Godts has been framed in coverage on both sides of the border as surprising, and Boskamp’s public frustration gives voice to that sentiment. At the same time, Albert’s reading points to a concrete, tactical reason for Garcia’s choices — an extra defender and contingency plans for injured players — rather than a pure judgment of any forward’s form.
The tension is real and immediate. With the tournament starting within less than a month and Belgium’s opener fixed for 15 June, Garcia has closed the door on debate by naming a squad skewed toward defensive depth. The consequence is clear: for Mika Godts, the World Cup is not this summer, and the coach has signaled that injury cover and defensive insurance were priorities when he drew the final list.
That is the consequence the facts support: Belgium’s management chose to prioritize a larger defensive bench, a move Albert links to concern over Debast, and Boskamp says that decision leaves Godts on the outside — a "stevig tikkie" for the player who, in Boskamp’s words, many expected to see at the tournament.
