“It depends on when it happens, but it’s my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” Jérémy Doku said after Belgium opened their World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle on Monday, revealing a personal conflict that could remove one of their key wingers from a tournament-deciding week.
The 24-year-old Manchester City winger told reporters that his wife, Shireen, is due in the second week of July — the period when the tournament is expected to reach the quarter-final stage — and Belgian media have reported that plans are being put in place should the birth coincide with knockout fixtures.
Belgian outlets say arrangements could include a private plane to England to move Doku quickly if needed, and that the federation is discussing options. Doku acknowledged the competing demands of family and country, saying that while no one wants to miss the birth of a first child, he also understands football involves other considerations.
Doku is one of Belgium’s most dynamic attacking players; his pace and directness on the wing make him a regular starter for both club and country. That form would be hard to replace deep into the World Cup, which elevates the stakes of any leave he might request in July.
The timing puts Belgium in an awkward position. The national team began its campaign on Monday in Seattle against Egypt, and the second week of July — when Shireen is due — overlaps with the tournament’s projection to reach the quarter-finals. If Belgium progress that far, the squad could face a brief window in which one of their key attackers is absent while negotiations and logistical moves play out.
There is precedent for national teams accommodating major life events, and Doku said he felt supported: “I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do,” he told reporters. Still, Belgian media also reported that defender Brandon Mechele is in a similar position, with his wife due a week after Shireen, creating the possibility that two players might be juggling newborns and knockout matches in quick succession.
The friction is concrete. A manager planning for quarter-final football needs certainty about squad selection and tactics; a player contemplating a first birth faces an immovable personal deadline. That tension — a club-level star asking to step away from a national moment — is what will shape Belgium’s next moves more than training notes or tactical tweaks.
Practicalities are being discussed behind the scenes, Belgian media say, including fast transport options from the United States back to Europe. A private plane to England was named as the likely solution should Doku need to return home quickly; whether such logistics are ultimately used will depend entirely on match progression and the child’s arrival date.
What happens next is straightforward and decisive: if the child is born while Belgium are still in the tournament, Doku has signaled he wants to be present; if Belgium are not playing that week, the conflict evaporates. The remaining, sharper question is whether Belgium will still be alive in the tournament come the second week of July — that uncertainty, not any bureaucratic arrangement, will determine whether Doku is absent at a moment when his presence matters most.
