Belgium opens World Cup campaign against Egypt as De Bruyne and Salah clash in Seattle

Belgium and Egypt kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns in a Group G meeting at Seattle's Lumen Field on Monday, 15 June. Belgium, now coached by Rudi Garcia, arrive unbeaten in 13 matches and with a mix of veteran stars and younger talent. Egypt look to their captain Mohamed Salah, who turns 34 on matchday and has yet to win a World Cup game in his career.

Team form and key figures

Belgium's Golden Generation still features Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Youri Tielemans, though Garcia has left several established names out. The Red Devils' recent friendly results (2-0 against Croatia, 5-0 against Tunisia) have been encouraging. Romelu Lukaku's fitness remains a question after an injury-hit season, while young forwards Jeremy Doku and Charles de Ketelaere are expected to start.

Egypt, appearing at their third World Cup since 1990, finished their warm-up matches with a 0-0 draw against Spain, a 1-0 win over Russia and a 2-1 loss to Brazil. Salah, now the country's all-time top scorer, is the focal point; his only previous World Cup appearances came in 2018, both ending in defeat. A victory against Belgium would be Egypt's first at the tournament and, according to local media, a fitting birthday present for the captain.

The matchday and broadcast picture

Kick-off is 21:00 CEST (19:00 UTC, 12:00 local time in Seattle). Belgium versus Egypt is widely available free-to-air: BBC (UK), SBS On Demand (Australia), CazéTV's YouTube (Brazil), M6 (France), Das Erste (Germany), Rai (Italy), RTBF/VRT (Belgium), RTVE (Spain) and others. BeIN Sports also carries the match in several territories. One French outlet, Ouest France, lists the venue as NRG Stadium in Houston, but the other five sources place the game at Seattle's Lumen Field.

Group G schedule

After the opener, Belgium face Iran on 21 June at the Los Angeles Stadium and New Zealand on 27 June at BC Place in Vancouver. Egypt play New Zealand on 22 June at BC Place and then Iran on 27 June in Seattle.

Head-to-head record

Belgium and Egypt have met four times in friendlies, never in a competitive match. Egypt lead the series 3-1, most recently a 2-1 victory in 2022.

Both teams will see this fixture as a chance to lay down a marker in a group that also includes Iran and New Zealand.