Egypt hold Belgium to 1-1 draw in World Cup opener as Lukaku rescues Red Devils

Match summary

Egypt and Belgium shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the 2026 World Cup on Monday in Seattle, a result that leaves Group G wide open after the opening round. Emam Ashour struck in the first half to put the Pharaohs ahead, but a second-half own goal from Mohamed Hany under pressure from Romelu Lukaku levelled the match. Both sides had chances to win it late but settled for a point apiece.

Egypt's bright start

Egypt came out aggressively and took the lead early. Ashour drove a powerful shot from outside the box past Thibaut Courtois in the 19th minute after a move initiated by captain Mohamed Salah. The goal was Ashour's first in international football. Egypt continued to threaten on the counter-attack and registered 14 goal attempts over the 90 minutes, matching a team ranked 19 places above them in the FIFA rankings.

“We are definitely not here just to make up the numbers. The win was in our hands today.”

The Egyptian coach praised Salah and Omar Marmoush for their "ferocious transitions" and said the performance was part of a wider project to build a new national identity for the squad. Egypt have never won a World Cup match; their best campaign remains 1990, when Hassan himself was in the side.

Belgium's response and Lukaku impact

Belgium improved after the break and Rudi Garcia introduced Lukaku in the 66th minute. Within 23 seconds, the striker pressured Hany into turning a cross into his own net, cancelling out Ashour's opener. Garcia said Lukaku is not yet ready to start following a hamstring injury and limited club minutes at Napoli, but acknowledged his impact.

“When you're an opponent and you see Lukaku coming onto the pitch you're probably quaking in your boots.”

Captain Youri Tielemans admitted the team had a "bad start" and that the Red Devils were outmanoeuvred in the first half. Kevin De Bruyne was substituted in the 85th minute and Jeremy Doku came off a minute later with a breathing issue, Garcia said.

Group G picture

The other Group G match, between Iran and New Zealand in Los Angeles, took place later on Monday. Belgium (ranked 10th in the world) and Egypt (29th) both sit on one point, with Iran (25th) and New Zealand (79th) still to play their opener. Belgium face Iran on Sunday in Inglewood, California, while Egypt meet New Zealand and Iran in their remaining fixtures.

“No game's an easy game in the World Cup.”