Egypt chases first-ever World Cup victory in opening clash against Belgium in Seattle

Egypt's winless World Cup history

Egypt has never won a World Cup match, recording only two draws and five defeats in seven appearances across 1934, 1990, and 2018. The team's best showing came in 1990 under current coach Hossam Hassan, who played up front during that tournament.

“We have some negative perception here because we have not participated, except for four times in the World Cup. But I think now we have a generation that deserves to be here.”

The pharaohs are determined to break the curse, with former captains citing Salah's leadership as the key.

Belgium under pressure after 2022 exit

Belgium enters the match aiming to avoid a repeat of its 2022 group stage elimination and to recapture the form that carried it to third place in 2018. Coach Rudi Garcia is treating the opener with the gravity of a final.

“We really need to go all-in tomorrow as if it is the final.”

Captain Youri Tielemans acknowledged the nerves surrounding a first game but urged his side to start well. Garcia, managing his first World Cup match, described Egypt as "one of the best African squads of all time," while noting that every team has exploitable weaknesses.

Star power on display

The match features two of the Premier League's most iconic recent exports. Mohamed Salah, who turns 34 on matchday, hopes to erase the disappointment of an injury‑hit 2018 campaign, where he scored twice but Egypt lost all three matches. He has 65 international goals and a club legacy of 257 strikes for Liverpool.

“For me, Salah is the best player in the world. His presence is extremely important for us; not only as a star, but also as a leader who gives us confidence and strength.”

Alongside Salah, Manchester City's Omar Marmoush provides pace on the counter, while Belgium counters with Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and the explosive Jérémy Doku.

Group G gives both teams breathing room

The group also includes Iran and New Zealand, meaning even a loss would not be fatal to either side's knockout hopes. Egypt's Hassan stressed that the ambition is to accumulate enough points to advance, while Belgium wants to win the group to secure a more favourable path in the last 32 and last 16. Garcia emphasised the need to be "protagonists" from the start.

History and heat add intrigue

Egypt has beaten Belgium in three of their four past meetings, most recently in 2022.

“We would like to have history repeat itself.”

The match in Seattle will be played in a heat wave, with hydration breaks doubling as tactical timeouts for Garcia, who called them "coaching breaks." Former Egypt captains are publicly backing Salah to deliver.

“Salah is a natural leader and I believe he can give Egypt its first World Cup victory.”