Belgium and Egypt kick off their respective World Cup campaigns in Seattle on Monday.
It’s a contest between the two sides who are heavily favoured to finish as the top two in Group G, with Iran and New Zealand meeting in Los Angeles later in the day.
Both nations will be desperate to prove a point at this tournament, with Belgium, after finishing third in 2018, having suffered a shock group stage exit in Qatar four years ago before falling in the last-16 at the most recent European Championship.
Now under the management of Rudi Garcia, the Red Devils - who spent two long runs at the summit of the FIFA world rankings between 2015-22 - are in a transitionary period with only a few remaining high-profile members of their so-called golden generation left in the squad as they try to bring through a new wave of players.
Egypt, meanwhile, are record seven-time winners of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) but are appearing at only their fourth World Cup finals, having never previously reached the knockout stage or even won a single match.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Belgium vs Egypt is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Monday June 15, 2026.
The match will take place at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) in Seattle, Washington, United States - home of the reigning NFL champion Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders in MLS.
Where to watch Belgium vs Egypt for FREE
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on BBC One , with coverage beginning at 7:30pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel and website, along with the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, ITVX app and ITV website.
Belgium vs Egypt team news
Sporting defender Zeno Debast is in Belgium’s World Cup squad, but is not expected to play until later in the tournament due to injury.
Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku left training early last week in a fitness scare, but quickly returned.
All-time leading scorer Romelu Lukaku is still lacking match fitness after a season wrecked by injury.
He is one of four Belgium players competing at their fourth World Cup finals, along with Napoli team-mate Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Axel Witsel.
Belgium squad
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, Jeremy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard
Much for Egypt, as ever, rests on the shoulders of talismanic captain Mohamed Salah, who was struggling with a hamstring injury during the latter stages of his final campaign at Liverpool.
He went into the 2018 World Cup with a dislocated shoulder and missed the opening game before the Pharaohs crashed out in the group stage once more.
Egypt squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdi Soliman, Mohamed Alaa
Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Tarek Alaa, Hamdy Fathy, Rami Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Mohamed Abdelmonemn, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez
Midfielders: Marwan Ateya, Mohanad Lasheen, Nabil Emad, Mahmoud Saber, Ahmed Zizo, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Ziko, Trezeguet, Ibrahim Adel, Haissem Hassan
Forwards: Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah, Aqtay Abdallah, Hamza Abdelkarim
Belgium vs Egypt prediction
This is a really intriguing game between two teams with something to prove.
Belgium never achieved anything close to what they should have done with their much-vaunted golden generation, of whom the remaining members are still influential but now some way past their respective peaks.
Egypt’s total lack of World Cup pedigree may come as a surprise to some, given their enduring status as a top force in African football.
They will be extremely eager to finally register their first win on the sport’s grandest stage, but we expect them to be narrowly edged out by De Bruyne and Co here.
Belgium to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
All four previous meetings between these two nations have been friendlies, with Belgium’s sole win coming with a 3-0 victory in Brussels before the 2018 World Cup.
Their last match, back in November 2022, saw a Salah-inspired Egypt triumph 2-1 in Kuwait ahead of a World Cup they were not involved in, and from which Belgium were dumped out early.
Belgium wins: 1
Egypt wins: 3
Draws: 0
Belgium vs Egypt match odds
Belgium to win: 8/13
Egypt to win: 9/2
Draw: 29/10
Odds via UK betting sites (subject to change).
