Thibaut Courtois is the major absentee for Belgium due to injury as they take on the USMNT in a pre-World Cup 2026 friendly in Atlanta, Georgia, today.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper was diagnosed with a muscle tear in his right thigh in the aftermath of the second leg of the LaLiga giants’ Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester City.

How Courtois injury unfolded at against Manchester City

Courtois played the first 45 minutes at the Etihad despite feeling a sharp twinge during warmups. He spoke with the medical staff in the locker room, where the area was quickly assessed, and the decision was made for him to start.

In that first half, Courtois produced four top-class saves to keep Real Madrid in control of the tie. At halftime, further discussions took place, and this time Real Madrid decided to cut their losses and replace the goalkeeper with Andriy Lunin. With Madrid 4-1 up on aggregate and facing 10 men, the situation allowed for the change.

When will Courtois be back playing?

However, an MRI scan after Courtois returned to Madrid confirmed a thigh muscle tear. The injury is expected to keep him out of action until the end of April.

The 33-year-old has already missed Real Madrid’s derby win over Atlético Madrid and will also sit out both legs of the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern Munich, as well as Belgium’s friendlies against the USMNT and Mexico in the United States this week.

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