Belgium wonderkid switched allegiance days before World Cup squad and can't play at tournament
A Belgium wonderkid switched international allegiance days before his now former national team announced their World Cup squad - and can't play at this summer's tournament.
Belgium unveiled their final 26-man squad on Friday afternoon, with Juventus striker Lois Openda and the injury-hit Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia among the most high-profile names to miss out.
Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku are all included and will be aiming to lead Belgium to the latter stages of the tournament.
Like in previous World Cups, Belgium's squad will be made up almost entirely of players who currently play overseas, with Hans Vanaken, Joaquin Seys and Brandon Mechele - all of Club Brugge - the only domestic names included.
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Another overseas player who could have been selected was 18-year-old midfielder Jorthy Mokio, who plays his club football for Ajax.
He made his Belgium senior debut in 2025, though hasn't picked up another cap since and has instead been playing regularly for the U21s as he continues his development.
Mokio signed a new five-year contract with Ajax earlier this year despite interest from other European clubs, and handled the negotiations himself.
He has since switched his international allegiance to play for the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the midfielder being of Congolese descent.
Why Belgium wonderkid can't play at World Cup
DR Congo have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but Mokio is ineligible to represent them for a further two years.
That is because, under FIFA regulations, any player who has made a senior international appearance for one nation cannot represent another nation for a period of three years.
The full relevant eligibility regulation states that a player must have 'played for the country they are leaving at senior level, were dual-registered with the nation they are joining whilst making their debut for the nation they are leaving, have not played for the country they are leaving before turning 21, have not played more than three times for the country they are leaving at senior level, three years have passed since their last international appearance, and they have not played for their first nation at a major tournament'.
In shorter terms, had Mokio decided to play for Belgium at the World Cup, he would never have been blocked from switching to DR Congo at all.
The rule means he will instead be eligible to play for DR Congo from March 2028, meaning he will also miss next summer's Africa Cup of Nations due to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Explaining the reasons behind his decision to switch allegiance, Mokio told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf: "Ultimately, I chose to follow my heart and make myself available for Congo. So I hope to be able to represent them soon.
"As I indicated, it is primarily a matter of feeling. They have shown interest before, but at the time I was still too young to make a definitive choice.
"Over time, my feelings towards the country where my roots lie have grown stronger. I feel now is the right time to heed that and give it direction."
DR Congo managed to qualify for the World Cup by defeating Jamaica 1-0 in March's inter-confederation play-offs.
They have a number of players who will be very familiar to English audiences, including Newcastle's Yoane Wissa, Burnley's Axel Tuanzebe, Sunderland's Noah Sadiki and West Ham's Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
They are captained by former Newcastle centre-back Chancel Mbemba, who is now one of the top defenders in French football with Lille, while former West Ham and West Brom forward Grady Diangana - now with Elche - will also hope to be selected after switching allegiance from England in 2023.
Topics: Belgium, FIFA World Cup, Ajax
Ryan Smart