Courtois Pauses Belgium Career Until September 2027

Thibaut Courtois, the 34-year-old goalkeeper for Real Madrid, announced he will put his Belgium national team career on hold until September 2027. He made his last international appearance during the summer's World Cup, totaling 115 caps.

Courtois will not participate in the upcoming Nations League campaign under new coach Mark Van Bommel, starting with a match against Italy on September 25. Van Bommel informed Courtois that he could not guarantee him the starting position as the No. 1 goalkeeper.

Courtois stated, “I have made the choice not to play the entire Nations League campaign with the Red Devils,” but he remains available for the European Championship qualifiers. He mentioned that if the current goalkeeper performs well during the Nations League, he may not reclaim his starting position.

Courtois expressed his desire to prove he can be the first-choice keeper again.