It was a brilliant night for Belgium, and a brutal one for Iran.
(Stu Forster via Getty Images)
No one can say the final matches of Group G at the 2026 World Cup weren’t eventful.
In the span of 30 minutes, Belgium, Egypt and Iran jostled for position in Vancouver and Seattle. The night began with Egypt leading the group. Then Belgium took the lead. Then Egypt took it back. Then Belgium again. The Belgians, previously one of the tournament’s most disappointing teams after two draws, finally won the group on a goal by their all-time leading goal scorer, Romelu Lukaku.
Advertisement
That wasn’t the end of the drama, though. Iran appeared to break a 1-1 tie in stoppage time, which would have moved them into second place and guaranteed advancement to the knockout rounds. Then VAR entered the chat and ruled Iran was offside, sending Iran to third-place purgatory.
The margin was a hand and half a foot.
Belgium entered the day facing possible elimination after ties against Egypt and Iran, but was soon breathing easy. The Belgians dominated possession in the first half, outshooting New Zealand 14-0. Leandro Trossard gave them the lead in the 28th minute, and they had little reason to worry about not emerging with a win.
Advertisement
The bigger question during the second half was the group winner, which Belgium set up with a second goal from Trossard and a beauty from Kevin De Bruyne.
New Zealand’s Elijah Just gave Egypt some hope for a group win with a goal in the 84th minute, which prompted a cheer in Seattle. Then Lukaku snuffed out that hope a minute later, and Alexis Saelemaekers put it away with a final goal in stoppage time.
Down in Seattle, Egypt got off to an ideal start with a goal from Mahmoud Saber in the fifth minute of play.
Iran was awarded a penalty kick minutes later after Mohamed Abdelmonem fouled Egypt captain Mehdi Taremi in the box, but Taremi’s attempt was impressively saved by Mostafa Shobeir, the first of a few excellent saves from the Egyptian keeper. However, it didn’t take long for Iran to finally find that equalizer: In the 14th minute, after Shobeir got another save, Ramin Rezaeian was there to score with a slicing shot on the rebound.
Advertisement
The intensity stayed high throughout the rest of the match, especially in the second half. It culminated in heartbreak for Iran, who also had two shots off the crossbar. It was a night of missed opportunities, and now their destiny is out of their hands.
Group G table, results
|
W |
D |
L |
GD |
GF |
TCS |
Pts |
||
|
1 |
Belgium |
1 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
-7 |
5 |
|
|
2 |
Egypt |
1 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
-5 |
5 |
|
|
3 |
Iran |
3 |
3 |
-5 |
3 |
|||
|
4 |
New Zealand |
1 |
2 |
-6 |
4 |
-4 |
1 |
Monday, June 15: Belgium 1, Egypt 1
Monday, June 15: Iran 2, New Zealand 2
Sunday, June 21: Belgium 0, Iran 0
Sunday, June 21: Egypt 3, New Zealand 1
Friday, June 26: Egypt 1, Iran 1
Friday, June 26: Belgium 5, New Zealand 1
Who will Belgium, Egypt play in knockout round?
Group G winner: Belgium
Matchup: Belgium vs. Group A/E/H/I/J third place team
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Date: Wednesday, July 1
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Advertisement
Group G runner-up: Egypt
Matchup: Egypt vs. Australia
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Friday, July 3
Location: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Will Iran make the knockout rounds?
Heartbreak aside, Iran seems to be in decent shape. It now sits sixth in the third-place standings, with Croatia and Algeria both able to pass them with a win or tie and DR Congo only overtaking them with a win.
All three of those things would have to happen to knock Iran down to ninth place and out of the tournament. It’s unlikely, but it’s going to be a long Saturday for them.
Can this group produce a World Cup winner?
Group G has felt like anyone’s game since the first matchday, when both Belgium-Egypt and Iran-New Zealand ended in draws. Though Egypt’s win over New Zealand in the second game helped the Pharaohs pull away from the rest of the pack, Group G entered Friday with an incredibly tight table, with the standings able to shake out in several different ways.
Advertisement
That kind of uncertainty among a quartet of relatively middling teams isn’t a great sign for anyone involved making a deep run. Belgium had played particularly below expectations, scoring just one goal before Friday’s five-goal outing against New Zealand. Egypt, though, makes history just by advancing, after failing to do so in any of their previous four World Cup appearances.
Belgium certainly looked better on Friday, but they are still only +4000 for the title, tied with Mexico for the 11th-best odds in the field. They at least have momentum on their side as the knockout stage begins.
