[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-van-bommel-appointed-belgium-head-coach-euro-2028":82,"category-counts-nav":97,"related-van-bommel-appointed-belgium-head-coach-euro-2028":107},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":95,"_path":96},"Van Bommel takes charge of Belgium on deal through Euro 2028","van-bommel-appointed-belgium-head-coach-euro-2028","football","Football: Analysis","Marcus Wright","Belgium turn to former Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel to lead a generational overhaul with eyes on Euro 2028.","2026-07-24 14:04:23","3 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002Fa639\u002Flive\u002F880e08a0-875f-11f1-84de-b90328819e7a.jpg",[93,94],"International Football","UEFA Euro 2028","## Van Bommel appointed Belgium head coach through Euro 2028\n\nBelgium have appointed **Mark van Bommel** as their new head coach on a contract running through **Euro 2028**. The Royal Belgian Football Association announced the move Thursday, ending a search that began after the federation decided to move in a different direction following Domenico Tedesco's tenure.\n\nThe four-year deal covers the **2026 World Cup** qualifying campaign and stretches to the next European Championship, which Belgium will co-host. The FA chose a long-term appointment over a caretaker solution.\n\nVan Bommel, **47**, won the **Eredivisie** with PSV Eindhoven in his first season as a senior manager in **2017-18**, then was dismissed the following campaign after a run of poor results. A stint at **Wolfsburg** produced little of note. At **Royal Antwerp**, though, he delivered the **Belgian Pro League title** and a domestic double in **2022-23**, the club's first league championship in decades. That record in Belgian football mattered to the federation. He managed locally, won the league, and reportedly earned respect from players and staff during a demanding campaign.\n\n## The aging spine Van Bommel must replace\n\nThe cohort that carried Belgium to **third place at the 2018 World Cup** and the top of the FIFA rankings is mostly gone. **Romelu Lukaku** and **Eden Hazard** have retired. **Jan Vertonghen** and **Toby Alderweireld** are long removed from international duty. **Kevin De Bruyne** is **33** and battling recurring fitness problems. **Thibaut Courtois** missed extended time with a serious knee injury.\n\nThe **2022 World Cup** in Qatar exposed the decline: Belgium exited at the group stage despite sitting second in the world rankings. Tedesco stabilized the team through Euro 2024 qualifying, but the European Championship brought another early exit.\n\nVan Bommel inherits a squad caught between generations. **Lois Openda**, **Jérémy Doku**, and **Amadou Onana** headline the next wave, but depth thins quickly past those names. The new coach will need to trust younger players through the mistakes that come with inexperience, while managing the transition away from veterans who defined a decade of Belgian football.\n\n## From Antwerp's defensive discipline to the national team\n\nVan Bommel's playing career included **79 caps** for the Netherlands, a Champions League win with **Barcelona** in **2006**, and stints at **Bayern Munich** and **AC Milan**. As a combative midfielder he demanded standards from teammates, a trait that has shaped his management style.\n\nAt Antwerp he built a defensively organized team that attacked aggressively in transition. He made difficult selection calls, benching established names when form dipped. Belgium will need similar decisiveness as younger players push for starting places over fading veterans.\n\nThe appointment also carries a cultural dimension. Putting a Dutchman in charge of Belgium's national team invites scrutiny across the Low Countries. Van Bommel has shown in previous jobs that he does not rattle easily.\n\n## World Cup 2026 qualifying is the first real test\n\nBelgium is expected to reach the **2026 World Cup** in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Failure to qualify would be considered a crisis. The **Euro 2028** contract length signals the federation's willingness to endure short-term turbulence for a longer rebuild, but the qualifying campaign is where Van Bommel must first prove himself.\n\nThe federation selected a manager who knows Belgian football, has won in the country, and possesses the temperament to manage a squad in transition. The aim is to carry a retooled team into a home European Championship as a credible contender.","\u002Farticles\u002Fvan-bommel-appointed-belgium-head-coach-euro-2028",[98,99,100,101,85,102,103,104,105,106],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[108,120,133],{"id":109,"stem":109,"path":110,"title":111,"category":85,"badge":55,"badgeType":112,"author":87,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":114,"date":115,"readTime":116,"image":117,"imageAlt":111,"tags":118,"excerpt":119},"world-cup-2026-individual-stars-overshadowing-teams","\u002Farticles\u002Fworld-cup-2026-individual-stars-overshadowing-teams","The Mbappé World Cup: When Individual Stars Outshine Nations","category","SportPulse Contributor","MW","2026-06-26 01:19:14","4 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002Fcd2d639b423a3b69281c75e9fe0a38cea6c34cb6\u002F413_0_2508_2006\u002Fmaster\u002F2508.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6788569fce826da8271da1732b65955d","World Cup, International Football","This tournament isn't about teams anymore. It's a constellation of solo acts vying for glory.",{"id":121,"stem":121,"path":122,"title":123,"category":85,"badge":124,"badgeType":112,"author":125,"authorRole":126,"authorInitials":127,"date":128,"readTime":129,"image":130,"imageAlt":123,"tags":131,"excerpt":132},"scotland-world-cup-failure-preparation-performance-gap","\u002Farticles\u002Fscotland-world-cup-failure-preparation-performance-gap","Scotland Had Everything They Wanted. They Still Had Nothing to Show.","Feature","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-07-02 02:18:00","7 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F8b72\u002Flive\u002F743dd9f0-7304-11f1-8546-8f19e4fe30f4.jpg","FIFA World Cup, Scottish Football, International Football","Scotland's World Cup collapse raises a haunting question: what happens when perfect preparation meets imperfect mentality?",{"id":134,"stem":134,"path":135,"title":136,"category":85,"badge":124,"badgeType":112,"author":137,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":138,"date":139,"readTime":129,"image":140,"imageAlt":136,"tags":141,"excerpt":142},"wales-women-qualifying-free-agents-shop-window","\u002Farticles\u002Fwales-women-qualifying-free-agents-shop-window","Wales' Free Agents Used World Cup Qualifying as the Ultimate Audition","Elena Rossi","ER","2026-06-30 03:49:09","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F7ab3\u002Flive\u002F42b37c40-6711-11f1-8289-cd29bd815980.jpg","Women's World Cup, Women's Football, International Football","Rhian Wilkinson's free-agent internationals turned a qualifying campaign into a showcase of quality for prospective clubs."]