Kevin De Bruyne is participating in his fourth and likely final World Cup, representing Belgium after 16 years in the national team. He discussed his World Cup experience on June 13 in Renton, Washington, as Belgium prepared for their Group G opener against Egypt scheduled for June 15, 2026 [1, 2].
De Bruyne expressed that he feels he can enjoy this tournament more than previous ones. "I think I'm probably at a moment in my career where I can maybe enjoy it more," he said [1]. He noted the honor of remaining a part of the Belgian team for such a long time, stating, "It is an honour for me to still be here after playing for the national team for about 16 years, so that means I've done something good!" [1].
Belgium's upcoming match will see De Bruyne face off against Egypt's star player Mo Salah, who he has competed against for 10 years. Their children even attend the same school. De Bruyne said, "I've played against Mo for 10 years, our kids also went to the same school too so I saw him from time to time, he's a really nice guy." He added, "It will be nice to see him, it will be nice to compete again like old times." [1]
Regarding preparations, De Bruyne emphasized the importance of privacy during training. Belgian media reported that additional fences were installed around Belgium's training base near Seattle to maintain secrecy. De Bruyne supported this, saying, "I think it's also important for us (that) when we're training on something, it is a bit private." He added, "It's kind of important to do things and also important not to give any news to Egypt or Iran or other teams. For me, it's nothing special, but that's it." [1, 2]
Belgium's match against Egypt on June 15 will mark an important moment in De Bruyne's career as he aims to enjoy and contribute in what is expected to be his last World Cup appearance [1, 2].