Egypt were left to rue a missed opportunity for a historic FIFA World Cup victory after settling for a 1-1 draw against Belgium in their Group G opener at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Pharaohs produced a disciplined and spirited display and looked on course for their first-ever World Cup win after Emam Ashour fired them ahead in the 19th minute. The move began with a moment of brilliance from Mohamed Salah, whose incisive pass unlocked the Belgian defence. Ashour took a composed touch before drilling a low shot beyond goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to register his first international goal.
Egypt carried their advantage deep into the second half and frustrated Belgium’s star-studded attack for long periods.
However, Belgium found a way back in the 66th minute. Moments after coming off the bench, Romelu Lukaku’s movement inside the penalty area created panic in the Egyptian defence. Thomas Meunier delivered a dangerous cross and defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, handing Belgium the equaliser.
Despite the disappointment of conceding, Egypt’s performance marked a significant step forward on football’s biggest stage. The North Africans not only earned a valuable point but also surpassed their previous record of 29 minutes spent leading in World Cup matches.
The result leaves Group G finely balanced, with Egypt taking plenty of confidence from a display that pushed one of Europe’s traditional heavyweights all the way.
“The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always a tough one, especially against one of Africa’s top teams like Egypt. The important thing is that we stayed in the game. We managed to equalise thanks to a player who came off the bench, which shows just how important the whole squad is. It was a great game between two very good teams,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was quoted as saying by FIFA.
Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim said, “We got a point in the end, but we gave it our all. We know Belgium are a good team with quality players, and the atmosphere was great, so we need to thank the fans.”
Scorers: Egypt – Emam Ashour (19’); Belgium – Mohamed Hany (own goal, 66’).
–IANS
