Belgium in Fine Form, Egypt Seeks Historic First Win

Belgium kicks off their World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle. The match is part of Group G, which also includes Iran and New Zealand.

Rudi Garcia's squad enters the tournament on an impressive 13-match unbeaten streak, showcasing excellent form. In their recent warm-up matches, they defeated Croatia 2-0 and then Tunisia 5-0. This strong run highlights the team's development under Garcia, who took over from Domenico Tedesco in January 2025. The Belgians will be eager to erase the memory of their group stage exit at Qatar 2022.

The Red Devils' coach faces some selection headaches. Central defender Zeno Debast is currently injured and is expected to be available only for the later stages of the World Cup. This creates a void in the heart of the defense, with Brendon Mechele and Nathan Ngoy anticipated to fill those roles.

In attack, Garcia has a decision to make: whether to start Romelu Lukaku, who has seen limited action this season at Napoli due to injuries, or deploy Charles De Ketelaere as a false nine. Much will depend on the creative prowess of Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku, who contributed five goals and two assists during the qualifiers.

On the opposing side, all eyes will be on Mohamed Salah. He endured his least productive season since 2014-2015. The Egyptian star celebrates his 34th birthday today and will be determined to lead the Pharaohs to their first-ever World Cup victory. Salah is crucial to Egypt's attack, having been directly involved in 60% of the team's goals during qualification, with nine goals and three assists.