FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G preview: Can Belgium’s golden boys finish with a bang?

ByTech Word News

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and Group G offers an interesting mix of teams. Belgium will be seen as favorites at the start of the tournament, but will have to work hard to push forward.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FULL REPORT

They will face Egypt, New Zealand and Iran, whose participation remains under scrutiny due to tensions with the US. This could be a group where either team can beat the other on any given day and we could see a few upsets.

In addition, sensational player battles are also open to the group, in which Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne will face each other.

With lots of plots and sub-plots planted in the group, we could have sensational ties.

GROUP D: SCHEDULE

  • Belgium vs Egypt – 15 June
  • Iran vs New Zealand – June 15
  • Belgium vs Iran – 21 June
  • New Zealand vs Egypt – June 21
  • Egypt vs Iran – June 26
  • New Zealand vs Belgium – June 26

GROUP D: WHOLE TEAMS

Belgium (Best position: 3rd in 2018)

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders

Defenders: Timothy Castagne, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Brandon Mechele, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel

Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere, Jrmy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard

Manager: Rudi Garcia

Egypt (Best Placement: Group Stage)

Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdy Soliman, Mohamed Alaa

Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Tarek Alaa, Hamdy Fathy, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez

Midfielders: Marwan Attia, Mohanad Lasheen, Nabil Emad, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Zizo, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel, Haissem Hassan

Forwards: Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah, Hamza Abdelkarim

Manager: Hossam Hassan

Iran (Best Placement: Group Stage)

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand

Defenders: Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoka Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Omid Noorafkan, Ramin Rezaeian

Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi

Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Amirhossein Mahmoudi, Mehdi Taremi

Manager: Amir Ghalenoei

New Zealand (Best Placement: Group Stage)

Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud

Defenders: Tim Payne, Francis De Vries, Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Nando Pijnaker, Finn Surman, Callan Elliot, Tommy Smith

Midfielders: Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Marko Stamenic, Sarpreet Singh, Alex Rufer, Ryan Thomas

Forwards: Chris Wood, Eli Just, Kosta Barbarouses, Ben Waine, Ben Old, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Lachlan Bayliss

Manager: Darren Bazeley

GROUP D: MEET THE TEAMS

For Belgium, 2018 seemed to be the year when their golden generation peaked. The likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Moussa Dembele inspired the Red Devils to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners France.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup signaled the end of that era as they crashed out to defeat by Morocco in the group stage. Now there are only a few survivors left of that incredible period, but they seem to be fighting as well.

De Bruyne made just 13 starts for Napoli in Serie A. Lukaku, none. Courtois has also struggled with injuries. De Bruyne could be set for his last hurray (Courtesy: Reuters)

But the new core gives them hope and Jeremy Doku is exceptional. The Manchester City winger scored 8 goals and provided 14 assists and will be key on the left wing. Youngster Senne Lammens has had a breakout season with Manchester United and can deputize for Courtois if needed.

Add to that the presence of Charles De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard and Dodi Lukebakio and you have a potent attack. The midfield has a lot of power and steel with Amada Onana, Youri Tielmanns still in the mix. You’d expect Belgium to get through the group easily, but some of their weaknesses were exposed during qualifying, which saw them slip up 3-0 against Wales.

The Red Devils have a chance to make a great send-off for some of their legends, and it all turns out that they will fulfill their promise.

Egypt have been all about Mohamed Salah for a long time, but this year they have some backing for the former Liverpool player. Salah showed signs of decline during the 2025-26 season and will be supported by Omar Marmoush.

They had a sensational run during the qualifiers, dominating their CAF group and scoring 20 goals and conceding just two. It’s a surprise that they’ve never made it out of the group stages and this will be the perfect chance for them to break the deadlock and make it big.

Iran have endured turmoil off the pitch of late but remain a strong side on it. This is their seventh World Cup appearance and they have just one win.

Goals will depend heavily on Mehdi Taremi and the rest of the team will look to rally around their star striker. The same situation is with New Zealand, where Chris Wood will be key.

New Zealand have been to two World Cups so far and were famously unbeaten at the 2010 edition, although all their matches ended in draws.

This year they will be looking to pull off a few upsets and advance to the next round.

GROUP D: GROUP GAME

Belgium vs Egypt will be the match of the group simply because it could decide who will finish top of the group and as the runner-up.

Salah and De Bruyne have battled for the Premier League title for many years and the two men will once again renew their rivalry on the big stage.

But both men will have support from the likes of Marmoush and Doku, meaning we could be in for a thrilling tie on June 15.

GROUP D: PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Kevin de Bruyne

What will be his last bow in the World Cup, De Bruyne will have a chance to cement his legacy as the best Belgian player of all time. With two goals and four assists so far in the tournament, he will once again be the spark that ignites Belgium’s competition.

Mohamed Salah

Like De Bruyne, Salah will be Egypt’s main man in their World Cup push. Despite a poor season by his standards, Salah still had 12 goals and 10 assists when he signed off from Liverpool. Salah is Egypt’s second highest scorer with 67 goals, behind only current head coach Hossam Hassan. He also ranks seventh on the nation’s all-time appearances list. Salah will aim to get Egypt out of the group stage (Courtesy: Reuters)

Everyone will be wondering if this is finally the year of the Egyptian king.

Mehdi Taremi

Much of Iran’s attacking hopes rest on the shoulders of Mehdi Taremi, whose experience and goalscoring pedigree make him one of Asia’s most reliable strikers. With 60 international goals to his name, the striker provides a constant threat with his intelligent runs, possession and ability to convert half chances into goals, making him a key figure in the team’s attacking third.

Chris Wood

Few players are as important to New Zealand’s fortunes as Chris Wood. The seasoned striker has racked up 45 goals for the All Whites and remains their primary attacking weapon. Combining physicality with sharp movement inside the box, Wood provides a constant attack and enters the tournament confident of another productive season at club level.

GROUP D: PREDICTION

  1. Belgium
  2. Egypt
  3. Iran
  4. New Zealand

– The end

Published on:

June 6, 2026 12:45 PM IST