In the opening round of the 2026 World Cup group stage, Belgium met Egypt at Lumen Field, with the halftime score at Belgium 0-1 Egypt before the match finished 1-1.
Both sides picked up early yellow cards: Marwan Attia for Egypt was booked in the 13th minute, and Timothy Castagne for Belgium in the 14th. Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute when Emam Ashour scored, with the assist credited to Mohamed Salah. Ahmed Fatouh was also booked in the 34th minute, and Egypt went into the break with a one-goal advantage.
In the second half, the score became 1-1 in the 66th minute after an own goal by Mohamed Hany, which was credited to Belgium. Belgium’s Maxim De Cuyper was booked in the 75th minute. The score did not change again, and the teams finished level.
On the numbers, Belgium had 54% possession to Egypt’s 46%. Expected goals were 1.32 for Belgium and 1.07 for Egypt. Belgium attempted 15 shots to Egypt’s 14, with both teams recording 3 shots on target. Passing accuracy was 86% for Belgium and 81% for Egypt. Belgium had 2 corners, Egypt 7; offside was 0-1; saves were 2 for Belgium and 3 for Egypt; and both teams committed 15 fouls.
Looking ahead, Belgium will face Iran in the second round of the group stage on 2026-06-21. Belgium are currently third in Group G with 1 point, a goal difference of 0, and a record of 0 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses.
Egypt’s next match is against New Zealand in the second round of the group stage on 2026-06-22. Egypt are currently fourth in Group G with 1 point, a goal difference of 0, and a record of 0 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses.
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