Belgium vs Egypt — World Cup Group Stage, Matchday 1 Lumen Field, Seattle — 15 June 2026

SPORTING OUTLOOK

This is the opening group stage match for both sides, played at a neutral venue with no host nation advantage in play. Both teams arrive with full motivation — a strong start in the group is critical for either side hoping to advance.

Belgium enter as the clear quality favourite. Ranked 9th in the world, they carry a points advantage of roughly 180 over Egypt in the FIFA standings — a gap that sits firmly in "clear favourite" territory. Their recent form backs that up. A 5-0 demolition of Tunisia was routine, but the more meaningful signals come from a 2-0 win away to Croatia (ranked 11th globally, near-peers in quality) and a 5-2 win away to the USA (ranked 17th). Those results against top-20 opposition suggest genuine depth and attacking firepower. Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku were the standout contributors through qualification, and Belgium's attacking output — 12 shots on target against Tunisia, 10 against the USA — points to a team capable of generating volume.