Belgium Extend 13-Game Run Before Egypt Vs Belgium Opener

Belgium head into egypt vs belgium unbeaten in 13 matches, with Rudi Garcia’s side set to open their FIFA World Cup Group G campaign against Egypt at Seattle Stadium on Monday. The match brings together two teams with form on the line and a first World Cup meeting between them.

Rudi Garcia and Belgium

Garcia took over from Domenico Tedesco in January 2025 and has kept Belgium from slipping further after a rough start to the year. Under him, they avoided relegation from League A in the UEFA Nations League, completed an unbeaten World Cup qualification campaign and topped their group.

Belgium’s qualifying numbers were strong enough to travel with real edge. They scored 29 goals in the campaign, beat Tunisia 5-0 in their previous outing in Brussels and have one of the tournament’s most secure starting points before a ball is kicked in Seattle.

Jérémy Doku and Romelu Lukaku

Jérémy Doku supplied five goals and two assists in qualifying, then added two more assists in the win over Tunisia. He has also reportedly shaken off an injury sustained in training, which keeps one of Belgium’s most direct attacking outlets in play for Monday.

Romelu Lukaku remains the swing piece on the other end of the pitch. He spent much of the 2025-26 season sidelined by recurring muscular injuries, but he is still Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer, and Garcia has already described him as “out of shape.”

Mohamed Salah on match day

Egypt arrive with a different kind of momentum. Mohamed Salah played a role in 60% of their goals in an unbeaten qualifying campaign, scoring nine and adding three assists, and he will celebrate his 34th birthday on the day of the match.

His final season with Liverpool brought 14 league goal involvements, his worst return since he split the 2014-15 season across Chelsea and Fiorentina. Even so, Egypt finished qualifying without a loss and then beat Russia 1-0 before losing 2-1 to Brazil in their final warm-up match.

Belgium and Egypt history

The teams have never met at a World Cup, but their recent friendly record leans toward Egypt: three wins in the previous four meetings, including a 2-1 victory in Kuwait City in November 2022. Mostafa Mohamed and Trezeguet scored in that game.

Belgium’s wider World Cup record against African opposition is 3-1-1, with the loss coming against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, when they fell 2-0 and failed to get out of their group. Thibaut Courtois is expected to start in goal and will make his 16th World Cup appearance, leaving him level with Jan Ceulemans and one behind Enzo Scifo’s Belgian record of 17.

For Belgium, the opener is less about protecting a run than proving it travels. Egypt have already shown they can stay unbeaten through qualifying, and the first World Cup meeting between these sides now asks whether Belgium’s 13-game stretch can survive a test that has favored Egypt in recent friendlies.