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Belgium’s 2026 World Cup campaign began on a disappointing note as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt in their Group G opener at Seattle Stadium on Tuesday morning (16 June 2026, WIB).

Egypt took an early lead through Emam Ashour before Belgium equalised following an own goal by Mohamed Hany, a situation created after Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to increase attacking pressure.

The result extended the impressive run of African representatives at the 2026 World Cup, with no team from the continent suffering defeat so far.

Football enthusiast Gigih W, speaking during the Super Taktik podcast at the Tribunnews Solo office in Karanganyar, Central Java, credited Egypt’s experienced players as a key factor behind their strong showing.

“The players Egypt brought are quite senior, and with their current coach’s strong sense of patriotism, the team is performing at a higher level. There’s a real chance they could advance past the group stage for the first time,” he said.

Egypt Nearly Follow Ivory Coast to Victory

According to Sky Sports, Egypt came very close to securing their first-ever World Cup win before Belgium managed to equalise in the second half.

Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan expressed disappointment at dropping two points, believing his team had done enough to win.

“We had 14 attempts and were closer to victory. We didn’t come to the World Cup just to make up the numbers,” Hossam Hassan told Reuters.

The draw against Belgium also extended Africa’s positive streak at the 2026 World Cup.

Morocco had earlier impressed by holding Brazil to a 1-1 draw in their Group C fixture.

These results demonstrated that the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists still possess the quality to challenge the world’s elite teams.

Ivory Coast remains the only African team to record a victory so far, having defeated Ecuador 1-0.

Meanwhile, Reuters highlighted Cape Verde’s achievement in holding reigning European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw.

Spain dominated possession with nearly 75 percent and attempted 27 shots but could not find a way past Cape Verde’s disciplined defence.

With this result, Egypt became the latest African side to make a top-ranked team drop points by holding Belgium to a draw.

Morocco Remains Africa’s Most Backed Contender

Even before the tournament began, several outlets had tipped Morocco as Africa’s best chance to progress deep into the competition.

ESPN noted that their status as 2022 World Cup semi-finalists gives the Atlas Lions a strong foundation to compete again at the 2026 edition.

Analytics firm Opta also described Morocco as the most tactically complete African team, combining seasoned veterans with an emerging new generation of talent.

Al Jazeera went further, stating that Morocco should no longer be considered underdogs, as they have already established themselves as a global football force.

Nevertheless, the performances of Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Cape Verde in their opening matches show that African football’s strength is now spread across multiple nations rather than reliant on a single powerhouse.

(Tribunnews.com/Niken)