Jeremy Doku Departs 2026 World Cup for Birth of First-Born Son

Belgium star forward Jérémy Doku departed the 2026 World Cup to be present for the birth of his first-born son, Praise, who was born on Monday.

Doku was ruled out Belgium’s match against Iran on Sunday due to respiratory illness. Still not 100% healthy, a team doctor accompanied him in his travels to London to rejoin his wife, Shireen, having received the necessary approval from the Belgian federation to depart the tournament for the milestone occasion.

It will be a quick trip for Doku, though, as he is due back across the pond on Tuesday evening. The Manchester City stalwart will reunite with the Red Devils in Seattle ahead of the team’s final group stage match against New Zealand on Friday, according to the federation.

The news came just days after Doku initially revealed his intention to leave the showpiece soccer event for the birth of his child, who was not expected to arrive until the second week of July. Doku anticipated the birth to clash with the tournament’s quarterfinal stage, stating his desire to be with his family regardless if his team was still competing or not.

“It’s my first child, so I ‌would ⁠definitely want to be there,” Doku said, per Reuters.

“If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many ⁠other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we can do.”

The conversation with the federation was evidently held much sooner than expected, seeing Doku depart abruptly in the midst of the group stage. As long as he fully recovers from his illness, he is not anticipated to miss any more matches, which is fortunate news for Belgium, who is in dire need of a spark to secure a place in the knockout stages.

SI World Cup Fanzone | SI World Cup Fanzone

Doku Welcomes New Life, Belgium Appears Lifeless

Jérémy Doku is Belgium’s top talent. | Daniel Bartel/Getty Images

Doku’s decision to leave sparked tremendous controversy online, perhaps shedding light on the public perception of fatherhood for athletes in the elite sports world.

England star forward Ollie Watkins, father to two, was quick to defend Doku, though. “I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business what he gets up to after training,” he said, per BBC.

“Somebody labelled it ‘disgusting,’ and I think, for a start, that’s not a way to label a birth. Like he said, it only happens once, your first child. Welcoming them to the world is a blessing, and you don’t get that opportunity [a lot]. There’s a lot of times where you’re away from family and friends for the season, and it’s a very difficult period, so to miss [the birth] would be tough. I see where he’s coming from. I think he has all the right to go back and be there.”

“We’re very privileged men at the end of the day. I am sure he will have a lot of support to get back and get there as quickly as possible. Make sure he is there to support her and then fly back out.”

Belgium will be eager to get Doku back on the pitch as soon as possible. Without their winger tearing up the left flank with his savvy footwork and dynamic movements, the Red Devils settled for a disappointing scoreless draw against Iran. They now have just two points in Group G play after drawing with Egypt in the opener last week.

Belgium will need a victory against New Zealand on Friday to cement a place in the knockout rounds, a perilous position to be in, especially after entering the tournament as the clear group favorite and a top-10 globally-ranked team by FIFA.

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