SportBelgium
Updated 23 Jun 2026, 00:00 UTC

Tessa Wullaert says she is not returning to Belgium as she searches for her next club

Updated 23 June 2026, 00:00 UTC — Brussels: Belgian captain Tessa Wullaert is currently without a club and has told HLN that she is not returning to Belgium yet, saying she still has ambition and energy for another step abroad.

Belgium Impulse Editorial·23 June 2026·1 min read·
Well established· 1 primary source + 2 official documents

In 30 seconds

  • HLN reports that Tessa Wullaert is currently without a club and does not plan an immediate return to Belgium.
  • Inter announced in June 2024 that Wullaert joined its women's team, with contemporary Belgian reports describing the deal as running to 2026.
  • UEFA reported in March 2026 that Wullaert passed 100 international goals for Belgium.
  • Wullaert has previously played in Belgium, Germany, England, the Netherlands and Italy.

Person

Tessa Wullaert

Belgian captain without a club and searching for her next club abroad

Why it matters

Belgian captain without a club and searching for her next club abroad

About

Tessa Wullaert is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Belgium national team, where she has amassed the second-highest number of caps for her country ever. She is her country's highest goalscorer of all-time in women's international football with 93 goals, and also holds the absolute goalscoring national record having scored more than Romelu Lukaku.

is Belgium's best-known women's footballer, captain of the
Organisation

Red Flames

team captained by Wullaert

Why it matters

team captained by Wullaert

About

The Belgium women's national football team, nicknamed the Belgian Red Flames, represents Belgium in international women's football. It is controlled by the Royal Belgian Football Association, the governing body for football in Belgium. Their home stadium is Den Dreef and their current head coach is Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir. During most of their history the team has had poor results but showed improvement in the Euro 2013 and 2015 World Cup Qualifiers.

and the national team's record scorer. The immediate story is a transfer-market decision: after her
Organisation

Inter

club that previously announced Wullaert's 2024 move to Milan

Why it matters

club that previously announced Wullaert's 2024 move to Milan

About

Football Club Internazionale Milano, widely referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, and commonly known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is the only team to have an unbroken presence in the top division of Italian football, currently Serie A, since its debut in 1909, having never been relegated to Serie B.

Place

Milan

location of Wullaert's 2024 move announced by Inter

Why it matters

location of Wullaert's 2024 move announced by Inter

About

Milan is the regional capital of Lombardy, in northern Italy, and the seat of the Metropolitan City of Milan. It is the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome, with a population of 1,362,863 in 2026. The city's wider metropolitan area is the largest in Italy, and the fourth-largest in the European Union, with an estimated population of 6.55 million.

spell reached its contract endpoint, Wullaert is keeping the Belgian league off the table for now and looking for a project that matches her level and role.

Background

Wullaert's career has been built abroad as much as at home. She has played for Standard,

Organisation

Anderlecht

club Wullaert has played for

Why it matters

club Wullaert has played for

About

Anderlecht is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Dilbeek and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Like all municipalities in Brussels, it is officially bilingual (French–Dutch).

,
Organisation

Wolfsburg

club Wullaert has played for

Why it matters

club Wullaert has played for

About

Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. It is best known for its football department, but other departments include badminton, handball and athletics.

,
Organisation

Manchester City

club Wullaert has played for

Why it matters

club Wullaert has played for

About

Manchester City Football Club, commonly referred to as Man City or simply City, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's, they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894.

,
Organisation

Fortuna Sittard

club Wullaert has played for

Why it matters

club Wullaert has played for

About

Fortuna Sittard is a professional football club from the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger of former clubs Fortuna 54 and Sittardia, which merged as the Fortuna Sittardia Combinatie on 1 July 1968.

and Inter, a path that reflects how elite Belgian women's players often need larger foreign leagues for salary, facilities and European competition.

Context & what happens next

What to do

For fans, no Belgian club return is imminent. For Belgian clubs, the door is not the current plan. For Red Flames followers, her match sharpness depends on how quickly the next deal is completed.

Impact

Regional — Flanders has the closest audience connection because Wullaert is Flemish and the story broke through Dutch-language sports coverage. The impact remains sporting, not regional policy.

Evidence
Well established · 1 primary source + 2 official documents
Explore evidence
Inter Milan
Published:
7 Jun 2024, 02:00
Retrieved by ODIN:
23 Jun 2026
Read original
Royal Belgian FA
Publication date unavailable
Retrieved by ODIN:
23 Jun 2026
Read original

Voices & reactions

What the main actors are doing

Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotations

Wullaert and her representatives

Wullaert's side presents the decision as a sporting ambition call: she is not treating a Belgian return as the default option and wants a club environment that keeps her competitive after Inter.

Belgian women's league stakeholders

Domestic clubs and league promoters gain visibility from a player of Wullaert's profile, so her continued absence keeps one of Belgium's strongest commercial and sporting names outside the local competition.

The story, connected

Explore the people, places and ideas in this story

Go beyond the headline. Open a card for sourced context, maps, official links and the other subjects connected to this report.

People

Tessa Wullaert

Belgian captain without a club and searching for her next club abroad

In this story

Belgian captain without a club and searching for her next club abroad

Background

Tessa Wullaert is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Belgium national team, where she has amassed the second-highest number of caps for her country ever. She is her country's highest goalscorer of all-time in women's international football with 93 goals, and also holds the absolute goalscoring national record having scored more than Romelu Lukaku.

Organisations

Inter

club that previously announced Wullaert's 2024 move to Milan

In this story

club that previously announced Wullaert's 2024 move to Milan

Background

Football Club Internazionale Milano, widely referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, and commonly known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is the only team to have an unbroken presence in the top division of Italian football, currently Serie A, since its debut in 1909, having never been relegated to Serie B.

Places

Milan

location of Wullaert's 2024 move announced by Inter

In this story

location of Wullaert's 2024 move announced by Inter

Background

Milan is the regional capital of Lombardy, in northern Italy, and the seat of the Metropolitan City of Milan. It is the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome, with a population of 1,362,863 in 2026. The city's wider metropolitan area is the largest in Italy, and the fourth-largest in the European Union, with an estimated population of 6.55 million.

Organisations

Red Flames

team captained by Wullaert

In this story

team captained by Wullaert

Background

The Belgium women's national football team, nicknamed the Belgian Red Flames, represents Belgium in international women's football. It is controlled by the Royal Belgian Football Association, the governing body for football in Belgium. Their home stadium is Den Dreef and their current head coach is Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir. During most of their history the team has had poor results but showed improvement in the Euro 2013 and 2015 World Cup Qualifiers.

Organisations

Anderlecht

club Wullaert has played for

In this story

club Wullaert has played for

Background

Anderlecht is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Dilbeek and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Like all municipalities in Brussels, it is officially bilingual (French–Dutch).

Organisations

Wolfsburg

club Wullaert has played for

In this story

club Wullaert has played for

Background

Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. It is best known for its football department, but other departments include badminton, handball and athletics.

Organisations

Manchester City

club Wullaert has played for

In this story

club Wullaert has played for

Background

Manchester City Football Club, commonly referred to as Man City or simply City, is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's, they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894.

Organisations

Fortuna Sittard

club Wullaert has played for

In this story

club Wullaert has played for

Background

Fortuna Sittard is a professional football club from the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger of former clubs Fortuna 54 and Sittardia, which merged as the Fortuna Sittardia Combinatie on 1 July 1968.

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