Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1 in their opening Group G match of the 2026 World Cup in Seattle on June 15, 2026. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Egypt’s midfielder Emam Ashour scored his first international goal in the 18th minute to give Egypt an early lead. [1, 2, 3, 4] Belgium equalised in the 66th minute when an own goal was deflected by Egypt defender Mohamed Hany, pressured by substitute Romelu Lukaku. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Belgium, considered Group G favourites, are transitioning from their 2018 ‘golden generation’ with younger key players including Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana, and Charles De Ketelaere under coach Rudi Garcia. [7, 8, 5, 6] Garcia, who made his World Cup coaching debut with Belgium in this tournament, described Egypt as one of Africa’s best teams and stressed respect for all group opponents. “We have a huge amount of respect for the other three sides in our group...We know Egypt well; they're one of the best teams in Africa,” he said. [7, 9, 10, 5, 6]
Belgium captain Youri Tielemans led the team for the first time at a major tournament in this match. Midfielder Jeremy Doku was substituted off in the 86th minute due to a breathing issue. [9, 1, 3] Garcia said, “There are no two ways about it. We have to win against Iran,” highlighting the importance of Belgium’s next Group G game. [1]
Egypt, making their fourth World Cup appearance, had not won a World Cup finals match before the 2026 tournament, going 0-7 previously. [7, 11, 12, 5, 6] Their key attackers Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush were expected to exploit counterattack chances. [7, 11, 2, 12, 4, 5, 6] Coach Hossam Hassan said the team is building confidence and a new national identity. “We are definitely not here just to make up the numbers. The win was in our hands today,” he said. [2, 12, 4]
Historically, Egypt has won three of their four head-to-head matches against Belgium, including a 2-1 friendly victory in November 2022 in Kuwait. [7, 11, 12, 5, 6]
Belgium must win their next Group G match against Iran to maintain a strong chance of advancing. [1, 3]
