Thibaut Courtois Requests One-Year Break from Belgian Football Federation

Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper for the Belgian national team, has requested permission from the country's football federation to take a one-year break from all national team matches. According to Sport3's report, Courtois intends to return to competition in the qualifying rounds for Euro 2028 and the UEFA Nations League 2028 after this rest period concludes. The request comes while Courtois remains active for his club in the UEFA Champions League.

• Thibaut Courtois has requested to withdraw from all Belgian national team matches for one year.
• After completing the one-year rest period, Courtois has expressed his intention to participate in the Euro 2028 qualifying matches and the UEFA Nations League 2028.
• Courtois is currently continuing his activities for his club in international competitions.
• Sports media outlets described the request with headlines such as "unusual request" or "extraordinary request.". Coverage difference: ISNA and Mashrgh News merely noted the existence of the request and described it as "unusual," but did not provide complete details of the request's content; whereas Sport3 presented a direct quote from Courtois's request and explained the duration of the break and the subsequent teams. None of the sources explained the underlying reason for this request.