Belgium vs Egypt — World Cup 2026 Group · Matchday 1
Match preview / What to expect
Updated Jun 6, 2026Belgium's golden-generation embers meet Mohamed Salah's Egypt in a Group G opener with real star wattage. Rudi Garcia's Belgium still lean on the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne and the goals of Romelu Lukaku; Hossam Hassan's Egypt are built to get the ball to their Liverpool talisman in dangerous areas.
It shapes as a battle of midfield control versus counter-attacking menace. Belgium will want De Bruyne pulling strings between the lines and Jeremy Doku running at defenders; Egypt will sit in a disciplined block and trust Salah and Omar Marmoush to punish any transition.
Expect Belgium to see more of the ball and Egypt to carry the more obvious individual threat on the break. With two of the game's elite forwards on show, the margins may come down to which side's defence holds firmer.
Key storylines
- 01Star power: De Bruyne and Lukaku against Salah and Marmoush.
- 02Mohamed Salah is Egypt's talisman and chief match-winner.
- 03Kevin De Bruyne remains the creative heartbeat of Belgium.
- 04Egypt's plan: compact defending and lightning counters.
- 05Belgium chase a strong start to a winnable group.
Prediction
Belgium's depth to edge a high-quality opener. Friendly call: Belgium 2-1 Egypt.
Projected lineups
Projected XI — not confirmed
Belgium
Formation 4-2-3-1- 1Thibaut Courtois (GK)
- 2Timothy Castagne
- 3Wout Faes
- 4Zeno Debast
- 5Arthur Theate
- 6Amadou Onana
- 7Youri Tielemans
- 8Jeremy Doku
- 9Kevin De Bruyne
- 10Leandro Trossard
- 11Romelu Lukaku
Egypt
Formation 4-2-3-1- 1Mohamed El Shenawy (GK)
- 2Mohamed Hany
- 3Mohamed Abdelmonem
- 4Rami Rabia
- 5Ahmed Fatouh
- 6Hamdi Fathy
- 7Emam Ashour
- 8Mohamed Salah
- 9Trezeguet
- 10Ibrahim Adel
- 11Omar Marmoush
Team news
Belgium
- Kevin De Bruyne is the creative reference point for everything Belgium do.
- Romelu Lukaku leads the line as Belgium's record scorer.
- Jeremy Doku adds explosive width and one-v-one quality.
Egypt
- Mohamed Salah is the focal point Egypt build their attack around.
- Omar Marmoush gives Egypt a second top-level forward threat.
- Egypt will aim to be compact and dangerous in transition.
Sources
Preview is editorial. Projected lineups are not confirmed team sheets.
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