Former Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel will become Belgium's new coach, the Royal Belgian Football Association said in a statement on Friday.

The 49-year-old has signed a contract with the Red Devils running until the 2028 European Championship and will officially take up the post on August 15.

Van Bommel will succeed Frenchman Rudi Garcia as head coach after Belgium went out in the World Cup quarter-finals to eventual winners Spain.

"It is a great honour to become head coach of Belgium. I would like to thank the Royal Belgian Football Association for their confidence in me. Belgium has outstanding players and enormous potential," said Van Bommel, who was World Cup runner-up with the Dutch in 2010.

"Success is never guaranteed, but hard work, honesty and commitment are. We will give everything to help this team improve every day and make the Belgian people proud."

Van Bommel played for Fortuna Sittard, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

As a coach, he took charge of PSV, VfL Wolfsburg and Royal Antwerp, where he won the Belgian double. Van Bommel has been without a club since 2024.

His first game in charge is the Nations League opener against Italy in Rome on September 25.