Staff writer Guy de Basto analyses Group G of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ahead of the opening match between Belgium and Egypt on 15 June.
On paper, Group G looks like a formality. That, however, is exactly the problem for the three teams chasing Belgium. The Red Devils arrive with what’s almost certainly the final World Cup for their golden generation: De Bruyne, Lukaku and Courtois, together one last time, still searching for the trophy that’s eluded Belgian football for over a decade. Egypt return for just their fourth-ever World Cup, still hunting for a first appearance beyond the group stage. Iran arrive as serial qualifiers who have never once broken through to the knockout rounds, despite seven attempts. And New Zealand, the smallest footballing nation in the entire field, will simply be hoping to make a mark of any kind on the global stage.
It’s a group with one clear favourite and three sides whose World Cup history reads almost identically — dotted with plenty of appearances, never a breakthrough. The only question is whether this is finally the tournament where one of them changes that story, or whether Belgium’s golden sunset ultimately overshadows everything else.
Belgium: Last Hurrah
Final Chance
Every football fan worldwide has heard Belgium’s golden generation being talked about for more than a decade. Whether it be Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Vincent Kompany or others, they all rose through the ranks before retiring without a single trophy to show for it. After sensationally crashing out of Qatar 2022 in the group stage without winning a single knockout match, Belgium arrive in North America for what is almost certainly the last World Cup for the remaining survivors of that generation. This is their 15th World Cup appearance, with an agonising third place in 2018 still their best-ever finish.
Garcia’s Balancing Act
Rudi Garcia was appointed Belgium manager in January 2025, marking his first role in international management after six club jobs including Lille, Roma, Marseille, Lyon and Napoli. Under him, Belgium have transformed from the side that crashed out in Qatar into a structured, clearly-organised team with a distinct tactical identity. In a controversial call, Garcia left out Malick Fofana, preferring the experience and system fit of Doku, Trossard and Saelemaekers instead. We will see how it pays off shortly. Formation wise, you wouldn’t go amiss to expect a 4-2-3-1 which can shift into a 4-3-3 when width is required.
The Ones to Watch
Captain Youri Tielemans wears the armband, but Kevin De Bruyne, who now 34 and playing for Napoli, remains Belgium’s most important player and creative heartbeat, expected to start every game in what is widely seen as his final World Cup. Romelu Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time top scorer with a national record 90 goals, remains the side’s main attacking threat at 32, though Garcia has gambled on his fitness after a season wrecked by injury. Thibaut Courtois, a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, gives Belgium one of the best goalkeepers in the world, while Jeremy Doku has lit up the Premier League with Manchester City this season as the standout of the new generation. On the other hand, Axel Witsel, at 37 years and 154 days on the day of Belgium’s opener, could become the oldest player ever to feature for the Red Devils at a major tournament.
Bonne Chance!
For the Belgians, a quarter-final is the realistic minimum, with a semi-final run possible. It is true that Group G is the most straightforward draw Belgium could have asked for. Belgium have never won the World Cup. This squad might be their best chance in a generation.
Predicted finish: First One last roll of the dice for the golden generation, and in arguably the kindest group draw of the tournament, topping it should be the bare minimum.
Egypt: Last Dance
Egypt makes only their fourth World Cup appearance in history — a statistic that barely seems possible for a football-mad nation of over 100 million people. Despite three previous appearances, they have never won a match at the tournament, and have never advanced beyond the group stage in the modern era. In their 1990 and 2018 returns, the Pharaohs were eliminated early, finishing bottom of their group both times — in 2018, Salah’s first World Cup, Egypt lost all three matches in a group with Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia, despite his goals against the latter two. Now, this is confirmed as almost certainly Salah’s last World Cup, a story that writes itself.
Hassan’s Masterplan
Head coach Hossam Hassan is Egypt’s all-time top scorer with 69 international goals in all formats, and remarkably, Salah sits just two behind him on 67. This prospect of his captain overtaking his own coach’s record at this World Cup is one of the tournament’s most compelling individual storylines. Egypt were unbeaten in qualifying, winning eight of ten games to finish comfortably top of their group, scoring 20 times and conceding just twice across those ten matches. They arrive fresh off an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final run, though that campaign ultimately ended in defeat to Senegal. Expect a 4-2-3-1 built to get the ball to Salah and Marmoush as quickly as possible.
The Ones to Watch
Salah enters the tournament closing in on Egyptian football history, with two sublime goals in qualifying against Djibouti — a clever toe-poked finish and a masterful volleyed lob — underlining he’s still at the top of his game. Omar Marmoush gives Egypt a second genuine threat in the final third, bringing pace and movement that offers a way to stretch defences that try to crowd out the captain. Trézéguet was Egypt’s other qualifying hero, scoring braces against both Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, while Mohamed Abdelmonem anchors the back line, with his composure a big reason Egypt conceded just two goals in ten qualifiers. Keep an eye on 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim of Barcelona Atlètic, too — the bolt from the blue in this squad.
A Nation’s Weight, One Man’s Shoulders
Salah turns 34 on the day Egypt face Belgium, and everything Egypt does typically runs through him. A first-ever knockout appearance would be one of the stories of the tournament and for a nation of over 100 million, the wait has gone on far too long already.
Predicted finish: Second Salah’s record-chasing farewell and a defence that conceded just twice in qualifying give Egypt the quality to finally break their group-stage curse. However, the gap to Belgium still looks much too wide to close.
IR Iran – Odds Stacked against Them
Pain and more pain
This is Iran’s seventh World Cup, and despite winning just three of their 18 matches at the competition previously, they have never made it past the group stage. In Qatar 2022 they went out in the group stage but needed just one goal in their final game against the United States to progress — agonisingly close, yet again. Across this campaign’s full qualifying run, Iran played 16 matches, winning 11, drawing four and losing one, with 35 goals scored and just 12 conceded — a record that more than underlines why they arrive as Group G’s second seeds.
Take Two
This is Amir Ghalenoei’s second spell in charge, having previously overseen Iran between August 2006 and July 2007, and he’s proving incredibly popular second time around, losing just four of 41 matches since returning and maintaining a 68.29% win rate. He favours a compact 4-2-3-1 that prioritises defensive shape before springing Taremi and the wide players, with Iran built around defensive control, physical midfield work, and direct service into experienced attackers. Off the pitch, preparations haven’t been straightforward — Ghalenoei was reportedly among those stranded at an airport during regional flight disruptions, a symbol of the wider challenges facing Iranian football in the build-up.
The Ones to Watch
Mehdi Taremi remains Iran’s biggest star and is set for his third World Cup — the Olympiacos striker netted 10 goals in 15 games in qualifying at 33 years old, and could be entering his final World Cup at the peak of his career. Alireza Jahanbakhsh captains the side and will wear the armband if fit, while veteran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, with over 80 caps, is the favourite to start in goal. The biggest talking point, though, is an absence: striker Sardar Azmoun was left out after a reported rift with the federation. Seventeen of the squad come from the Iran Pro League, giving Ghalenoei a strong domestic spine to work with.
Resilience
Iran enters the tournament seeking not only their first-ever appearance in the knockout stages, but also an opportunity to demonstrate their resilience on the world’s biggest sporting stage. A group containing Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand presents a genuinely achievable path to the Round of 16 with the right results against the latter two. The chance is there. Whether Team Melli can finally take it is the question that’s followed them for almost five decades.
Predicted finish: Third A genuinely winnable group on paper, but a record of just three wins in 18 World Cup matches and a history of falling agonisingly short suggests old habits may be hard to shake.
New Zealand – Uphill Battle
Epitome of Underdog
Nsew Zealand return to the World Cup after 16 years, making their third-ever appearance after 1982 and 2010 and arrive as the lowest-ranked nation in the entire 48-team competition. In 2010, they went unbeaten through the group stage, but three draws weren’t enough to see them through, leaving them still searching for their first-ever World Cup win. FIFA’s expansion to 48 teams gave Oceania its first-ever automatic slot, and New Zealand sealed it by beating New Caledonia 3-0 in March 2025.
History Maker
Darren Bazeley has been in charge since 2023, and is set to become the first head coach ever to manage a team across four different FIFA competitions — the U-17 World Cup, U-20 World Cup, the Olympic Football Tournament, and now the senior World Cup. New Zealand went through the entire three-round Oceania qualifying process unbeaten, scoring 19 goals and conceding just one, including a 7-0 demolition of Fiji in the semi-final before beating New Caledonia 3-0 in the final. Twenty-one of the 26-man squad now play outside New Zealand and the A-League — a marked increase from the 2010 squad, which is a nice reflection of the growing development of New Zealand players abroad.
The Ones to Watch
Chris Wood captains the side at 34, almost certainly for the final time — New Zealand’s all-time leading goalscorer with 45 goals from 88 caps, though he’s struggled with injuries through the 2025-26 club season. Behind him, winger Elijah Just and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Marko Stamenić add creativity, while Matt Garbett also offers a different attacking option. 36-year-old Tommy Smith, now playing for sixth-tier Braintree Town, returns as one of only two survivors from the 2010 squad.
Victory
Even with the new format guaranteeing eight of the best third-placed teams a route to the knockouts, the task remains a mountainous one for the All Whites against European heavyweights Belgium and two sides with genuine pedigree in Iran and Egypt. New Zealand’s 2010 legacy gives Bazeley’s squad a belief template that no FIFA ranking gap can fully account for, but belief alone may not be enough this time.
Predicted finish: Fourth The lowest-ranked team in the entire tournament, facing Belgium, Egypt and Iran — simply avoiding a heavy defeat would represent a positive campaign.
Conclusion:
Group G might be the closest thing this World Cup has to a foregone conclusion, but each of the four stories here carries genuine weight. Belgium’s golden generation gets one last chance to turn talent into silverware, in a draw kind enough that anything short of progression would be a real failure. Egypt arrives with the most compelling individual storyline of the entire group, as Salah chases his coach’s scoring record while hunting the country’s first-ever World Cup win. Iran has the quality to finally break their group-stage curse, if they can shake off a habit of falling agonisingly short. And New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament, simply wants to leave with their first win in history.
On paper, this is Belgium’s to lose. However, World Cups have a habit of punishing complacency and three sides with genuine points to prove make for an unpredictable supporting cast. Only time will tell.
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