- Belgium vs Egypt: Egypt squandered a chance to secure their first-ever World Cup victory as Belgium held them to a 1-1 draw.
- The 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G opener was played on Monday, June 15, at Seattle Stadium.
- Emam Ashour had given Egypt the lead before an unfortunate own goal involving Mohamed Hany in the second half handed Belgium an equaliser.
Egypt’s first-ever World Cup victory will have to wait a little longer after they surrendered a narrow 1-0 lead and settled for a 1-1 draw against Belgium in the Group G opener of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday night.
As much as they are the most successful African nation, the Pharaohs, making their fourth appearance on the global stage, have never ever tasted the sweetness of a victory since their debut in 1934.
The outcome looked very dreamlike at the Seattle Stadium when Emam Ashour’s thunderous strike had given them the advantage, only for them to spoil it with an own goal via Mohamed Hany in the second half, stretching their winless run to three draws and five losses.
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It took Belgium seven minutes to produce the first quality attempt of the game, specifically Kevin De Bruyne.
He received a short square pass on the edge of the D, shaped to curl a shot toward the far corner, and then reversed it toward the near post. It bounced a few yards wide.
After playing a cagey affair for the next ten minutes, it was Egypt who had a few efforts that would earn them a golden chance, and they drew first blood through Ashour’s wonder strike from outside the box that flew past Thibaut Courtois.
Ashour drifted infield from the left to find some space and receive Salah’s angled pass on the edge of the D.
After taking a quick touch inside, Ashour turned into the ball and sweet-spotted a sizzling drive into the net. Courtois dived to his right but was beaten for pace.
Both sides would create equal opportunities for the rest of the half, but none would find the back of the net thereafter, as Belgium went into the break trailing by a goal despite having some decent possession in the first half.
The second half kicked off with Belgium showing urgency for the equalizer, but it did not come all that early.
Six minutes after the hour mark, coach Rudi Garcia was making all his substitutions to change the game, and he was forced to bring fresh legs up front, subbing off Charles de Ketelaere for veteran Romelu Lukaku.
And just off his first attempt of the game, Lukaku managed to apply pressure upfront, and Egypt saw themselves putting the ball into their own net for an own goal equalizer. Meunier drove a really dangerous cross toward Lukaku, who was battling with Ibrahim and Hany to reach it in front of goal.
Ibrahim, stretching toward his own net, unwittingly diverted the ball off Hany and into the net.
It wass not Lukaku’s goal, but he played a big part in it, and he had only been on the pitch for 22 seconds.
Egypt tried hard to stage a comeback for their first ever win and to kick off the tournament on a high note, but luck wasn’t on their side as both sides settled for a point apiece.
Both teams will be looking to secure their first victory this weekend when Belgium takes on Iran while Egypt squares off against New Zealand.
Belgium vs Egypt Starting Lineups
- Belgium: Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana, Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere
- Egypt: Mostafa Shobeir, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Hamdi Fathy, Ahmed Fatouh, Marwan Attia, Mohanad Lasheen, Mohamed Salah, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Zico, Omar Marmoush
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