Courtois sets conditions to continue playing for Belgium

Thibaut Courtois has not guaranteed his future with the Belgium national team despite appreciating new coach Mark van Bommel, and he also wants to rest during the upcoming Nations League campaign.

The future of Thibaut Courtois in the Belgium national team remains in question after the 2026 World Cup. The Real Madrid goalkeeper asserts that he is still leaning towards continuing his international career, but the final decision will depend on his discussion with new coach Mark van Bommel.

Courtois wants to be exempted from the 2026/27 Nations League campaign to have more recovery time after a busy schedule. Only when reaching an agreement with the coaching staff will the 34-year-old goalkeeper consider continuing with the Red Devils towards the EURO 2028 qualifiers.

“After the World Cup, I definitely still want to continue, but that will depend on the discussion between me and him,”, Courtois said at a sponsorship event.

“I want to rest during the Nations League period and we will have to try to find common ground. After that, I will decide whether to continue or not,”, he emphasized.

Courtois wants to prioritize recovery time

This is not the first time Courtois has mentioned the possibility of temporarily leaving the Belgium team. Right after the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals World Cup 2026, the Real Madrid goalkeeper once said that taking a year off from international duty could help him regain balance before returning for the EURO qualifiers.

Courtois then warned that if the Belgian Football Association and coaching staff did not accept this plan, he would have to consider ending his international career. However, the veteran goalkeeper affirmed that he still leans more towards continuing rather than leaving the team.

Courtois's desire puts new coach Van Bommel before a difficult decision. Belgium will start the Nations League with an away match against Italy on September 25, before facing France and Turkey respectively. Allowing a key player to voluntarily skip the entire campaign could affect the Dutch coach's squad building plans.

However, Courtois had many positive words for Van Bommel. He believes that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder has proven his ability while coaching Royal Antwerp, and possesses enough top-level playing experience to earn respect from the players.

“I think he has proven at Antwerp that he is a top coach,”, Courtois commented. The Real Madrid goalkeeper also believes that his past experience playing in big matches will help Van Bommel easily understand the pressure that players face.

Turning point after defeat to Spain

Van Bommel was appointed by the Belgian Football Association on July 24 and officially started work on August 15. He replaced Rudi Garcia, who was not renewed after Belgium was eliminated by Spain in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Courtois had to leave the field due to injury in the 1-2 defeat to Spain. His replacement, Senne Lammens, then made a mistake leading to Mikel Merino's decisive goal. Courtois believes he could have continued playing, but affirmed there was no conflict with coach Garcia and respects the decision to prioritize players with the best fitness.

The first discussion between Courtois and Van Bommel could therefore decide the future of one of Belgium's most experienced players. If no agreement is reached on rest time, the Nations League could become the end of the Real Madrid goalkeeper's international career.