Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne celebrated together as Belgium equalised 1-1 against Egypt in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
SUPERBALL.ID – The Belgian national team faced the Egyptian national team in the first Group G fixture of the 2026 World Cup.
The match took place at Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle on Tuesday (16 June 2026) early morning WIB.
Besides Belgium and Egypt, Group G also includes Iran and New Zealand.
Belgium’s best performance in World Cup history remains their third-place finish at the 2018 edition in Russia.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s highest achievement was reaching the Round of 16 back in 1934.
MATCH SUMMARY
Both sides started the game at a relatively balanced tempo in the opening minutes.
Although Belgium dominated possession, it was Egypt who managed to break the deadlock first.
Egypt took the lead through a goal by Emam Ashour in the 19th minute.
His powerful strike was beyond the reach of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
That goal remained the only one in the first half.
Egypt maintained their 1-0 advantage over Belgium until the halftime whistle.
Entering the second half, Belgium’s players showed much more aggression in search of an equaliser.
In the 52nd minute, Belgium had a golden opportunity from a free kick.
Kevin De Bruyne’s direct attempt came agonisingly close, striking the post.
Just three minutes later, Egypt had a great chance of their own.
However, Mohamed Salah’s header was brilliantly saved by Courtois.
The pace of the match intensified as both teams exchanged attacking moves.
Belgium sought to boost their attacking force by bringing on Romelu Lukaku in the 66th minute, replacing Charles De Ketelaere.
Within seconds of stepping onto the pitch, Lukaku’s presence immediately caused problems for Egypt’s defence, leading to an own goal by defender Mohamed Hany.
Five minutes of stoppage time were added at the end of the second half.
Both Belgium and Egypt continued to press forward, but no further goals were scored before the final whistle.
The match concluded with a 1-1 draw, forcing both sides to share the points.
BELGIUM STARTING XI (4-2-3-1)
Courtois; Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele, Castagne; Onana, Tielemans; Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku; De Ketelaere
Substitutes:
De Cuyper, De Winter, Fernandez-Pardo, Lammens, Lukaku, Lukebakio, Moreira, Penders, Raskin, Saelemaekers, Seys, Theate, Vanaken, Witsel
Coach: Rudi Garcia
EGYPT STARTING XI (4-2-3-1)
Shobeir; Hany, Ibrahim, Fathy, Fatouh; Attia, Lasheen; Ziko, Salah, Ashour; Marmoush
Substitutes:
Adel; Alaa M, Alaa T, Dunga, El Shenawy, Hafez, Hassan, Rabia, Saber, Soliman, Trezeguet, Zizo
Coach: Hossam Hassan
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