Belgium vs Egypt Preview

Group G’s opening fixture takes place at Lumen Field in Seattle on Monday evening as Belgium face Egypt, with Iran and New Zealand the other two sides in a group that looks finely balanced on paper but where Monday’s result could set an early tone.

Belgium arrive at this World Cup in outstanding form, having won four of their last five matches and looking every bit like dark horses for the tournament. Their most recent outing produced a 5–0 home win over Tunisia — a dominant display that continued their excellent pre-tournament run. Prior to that, they won 2–0 away in Croatia, another impressive result on the road. Before that, they were held to a 1–1 draw away in Mexico. Earlier in this run, they produced one of the most eye-catching results of the entire pre-tournament period, winning 5–2 away in the United States, and the sequence began with a 7–0 home demolition of Liechtenstein. Four wins and a draw, with twenty goals scored across those five matches, underlines the attacking quality at Belgium’s disposal — De Bruyne, Lukaku, Doku and Trossard give them a forward line capable of hurting any opponent.

Egypt come into this tournament with a mixed and somewhat concerning recent record. Their most recent outing ended in a 2–1 defeat away to Brazil — a result that, while against quality opposition, will not have eased nerves ahead of the opener. Prior to that, they won 1–0 at home against Russia, a clean-sheet victory that offered some reassurance. Before that, they drew 0–0 away against Spain — a credible result against strong opposition. Earlier in this run, they produced their best display of the sequence, winning 4–0 away in Saudi Arabia, and the sequence began with a penalty shootout defeat at home to Nigeria following a goalless draw in the Africa Cup of Nations. Two wins, a draw and two defeats — Egypt have shown they can compete with strong sides, as the result in Spain demonstrated, but their defensive record against Brazil’s attacking quality will be a concern against a Belgian side with similar firepower.

The head-to-head record favours Egypt, who have won three of the last four meetings, with one win for Belgium and no draws. Most recently, Egypt won 2–1 away in Belgium in November 2022. In the previous encounter, Belgium won 3–0 at home against Egypt in June 2018.

This is a fascinating opener given Egypt’s historical edge in this fixture, but Belgium’s current form is on an entirely different level to anything they have shown in recent meetings. With Salah and Marmoush leading the line for Egypt, there is always a goal threat, but Belgium’s attacking depth and defensive solidity in front of Courtois make them clear favourites on current form, regardless of what history suggests.

In Belgium, the match is live on La Une and VRT 1, with streaming available via Proximus Pickx and Sporza. In Egypt, viewers can watch via beIN SPORTS CONNECT and Time Sports. In the United States, the game is available on the FOX Network, fuboTV and Telemundo.

Lineups

Belgium (4-3-3) Courtois, Meunier, Mechele, Debast, Cuyper, Tielemans, Onana, Doku, Bruyne, Lukaku, Trossard

Egypt (3-5-2) Shenawy, Fatouh, Adel, Rabia, Ashour, Salah, Marmoush, Attia, Fathy, Abdelmaguid, Hany

Both squads appear to be at full strength for this Group G opener. Hossam Hassan has a full 26-man squad to choose from for Egypt, while Belgium’s only selection talking point centres on Courtois retaining his place ahead of Lammens, with the veteran goalkeeper expected to start regardless.

Belgium Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Belgium	5 – 0	Tunisia	International Friendly	Jun 6, 2026
✅	Croatia	0 – 2	Belgium	International Friendly	Jun 2, 2026
🤝	Mexico	1 – 1	Belgium	International Friendly	Apr 1, 2026
✅	USA	2 – 5	Belgium	International Friendly	Mar 28, 2026
✅	Belgium	7 – 0	Liechtenstein	International Friendly	Nov 18, 2025

Egypt Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Brazil	2 – 1	Egypt	International Friendly	Jun 6, 2026
✅	Egypt	1 – 0	Russia	International Friendly	May 28, 2026
🤝	Spain	0 – 0	Egypt	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
✅	Saudi Arabia	0 – 4	Egypt	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
❌	Egypt	0 – 0	Nigeria	Africa Cup of Nations	Jan 17, 2026

Head to Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Belgium	1 – 2	Egypt	International Friendly	Nov 18, 2022
Belgium	3 – 0	Egypt	International Friendly	Jun 6, 2018
Egypt	4 – 0	Belgium	International Friendly	Feb 9, 2005
Belgium	0 – 1	Egypt	International Friendly	Mar 29, 1999

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Belgium	La Une, VRT 1, Proximus Pickx, Sporza
Egypt	beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Time Sports
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web
Ireland	RTE 2, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
France	M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, Molotov
Germany	Das Erste, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Brazil	SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, CazéTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS App
Japan	DAZN Japan, NHK G TV