Egypt earn a precious point against Belgium

Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1 in their opening match of Group G at the 2026 World Cup, played at Lumen Field in Seattle. The pre-match favourites Belgium were unable to take all three points, while Egypt began the tournament with a valuable draw.

It was the visitors who started better. Set up by Mohamed Salah, Emam Ashour found the net in the 19th minute to put Egypt 1-0 ahead. Belgium had more of the ball in the first half but could not convert their superiority, going into the break behind.

In the second half, Rudi Garcia turned to his bench, bringing on Raskin, De Cuyper and Lukaku. Belgium stepped up the pressure and found their equaliser in the 66th minute, when Mohamed Hany turned the ball unfortunately into his own net to make it 1-1. After that goal, both sides pushed for a winner.

The statistics pointed to a balanced contest. Belgium had 57% possession and eight shots, while Egypt attempted more with 11. The most striking figure came in big chances: Belgium created none, while Egypt fashioned two. The expected goals (xG) also favoured Egypt 0.75 to 0.71, underlining the quality of the visitors' openings. Refereed by Brazil's Ramon Abatti, the match was a physical affair with a high card count.

The result keeps Group G finely balanced, with both teams opening their campaign on a single point. Egypt, who took a point from their big World Cup test, impressed with defensive discipline and Salah's creativity. For Belgium, dropping two points despite the better of the play was a disappointment. The rest of the group now shapes up as a chase for wins from both sides. Sharpening a blunt Belgian attack, and sustaining Egypt's strong start, will be the key questions in the matches ahead.

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