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

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just around the corner with Group G providing an interesting mix of teams. Belgium will be considered the favourites heading into the start of the tournament, but will be made to work hard to get through.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 FULL COVERAGE

They will be up against Egypt, New Zealand and Iran, whose participation still remains under the scanner due to the tensions with the US. It can turn out to be a group where any team can beat the other on a given day and we could witness a few upsets.

Apart from this, the group also opens up the scope of sensational player battles, which will see Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne being pitted against each other.

With a lot of plots and sub-plots set within the group, we could be in for some sensational ties.

GROUP D: SCHEDULE

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

GROUP D: FULL SQUADS

Belgium (Best finish: 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 finish: 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 finish: 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 finish: 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 that 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 World Cup signalled the end of that era as they crashed out in the group stages with a loss to Morocco. Now, there are only few survivors left from that incredible period, but they seem to be struggling as well.

De Bruyne made just 13 Serie A starts for Napoli. Lukaku, not even a single. Courtois has also struggled with injuries.

But the new core does give them hope with Jeremy Doku being a standout. The Manchester City winger scored 8 goals and set up 14 assists and will be key on the left wing. The young Senne Lammens had a breakthrough season with Manchester United and can deputise for Courtois when needed.

Add to this the presence of Charles De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard and Dodi Lukebakio, and you have a strong attack. The midfield does have a lot of strength and steel in with Amadou Onana, Youri Tielmanns still in the mix. You expect Belgium to make it out of the group easily, but some of their frailities were exposed during qualifying, which saw them let a 3-0 lead slip against Wales.

The Red Devils have a chance to give a great send off to some of their legends and it will all come down to them fulfilling their promise.

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

They had a sensational run during qualifying, topping their CAF group and scoring 20 goals and conceding just two. It is a surprise they have never made it out of the group stages and this will be the perfect chance for them to break that jinx and make it through.

Iran has endured turmoil in recent times off the pitch, but on it, they remain a strong side. This is their 7th World Cup appearance and have only one win to show for it.

They will depend heavily on Mehdi Taremi for goals and the rest of the squad will aim to rally around their star striker. The same situation exists with New Zealand, where Chris Wood will be key.

New Zealand have been at two World Cups so far and famously went unbeaten at the 2010 edition, albeit all their games ending in draws.

This year, they will aim to produce a few upsets and make it to the next round.

GROUP D: GAME OF THE GROUP

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

Salah and De Bruyne have battled it out for the Premier League title for many years and both men will renew their rivalry on the big stage once more.

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

GROUP D: PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Kevin de Bruyne

In what will be his final World Cup bow, De Bruyne will have the chance to cement his legacy as the greatest Belgian player of all time. With two goals and four assists so far in the tournament, he will once again be the spark to ignite Belgium's run in the competition.

Mohamed Salah

Just like De Bruyne, Salah will be the main man for Egypt in their push at the World Cup. Despite a poor season by his standards, Salah still had 12 goals and 10 assists to show for as he signed off from Liverpool. Salah is Egypt's second-highest goalscorer with 67 goals, trailing only current head coach Hossam Hassan. He also ranks seventh on the nation's all-time appearances list.

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 dependable forwards. With 60 international goals to his name, the striker provides a constant threat through his intelligent runs, hold-up play and ability to turn half-chances into goals, making him the team's key figure in the attacking third.

Chris Wood

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

GROUP D: PREDICTION

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