Mohamed Salah Leads Egypt Into Belgium Vs Egypt World Cup 2026 Opener
Egypt entered belgium vs egypt world cup 2026 in Seattle with Mohamed Salah in training on Sunday, a clear sign that its World Cup Group G opener against Belgium is set for Monday, June 15, 2026. The match opens Egypt’s campaign in an expanded field, with Hossam Hassan’s side chasing a first World Cup win.
Salah And De Bruyne
Salah is the headline name for Egypt, while Belgium brings Kevin De Bruyne, Thibault Courtois and Jérémy Doku into the same opener. That pairing gives Egypt a direct test against one of Europe’s established cores before the group stage settles into its rhythm.
Egypt has never won a World Cup match and has led only once in seven games, so the first goal in Seattle carries extra weight. Omar Marmoush, now with Manchester City, gives Egypt another attacking option, and Belgium manager Rudi Garcia said his team should be respected.
Hossam Hassan’s Target
Hassan set the objective plainly: Egypt wants to advance past the group stage in the expanded tournament. He carries his own World Cup history into the dugout as Egypt’s career scoring leader with 69 international goals, and he scored against Algeria in 1990 to help Egypt reach one of its four World Cup appearances.
“We have some negative perception here because we have not participated, except for four times in the World Cup,” Hassan said in Arabic. “But I think now we have a generation that deserves to be here.” He also called Belgium “an amazing one, a star-studded one,” before adding, “I respect the Belgian national team. It goes without saying that the entire world is very well aware of what they are capable of.”
Belgium’s Pressure Test
Belgium arrives with recent mixed results behind it. The team finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, then did not advance beyond the group stage in Qatar in 2022. That leaves Seattle as an early checkpoint for a squad still built around De Bruyne and Courtois.
Garcia pushed back on any casual read of the matchup, saying, “Obviously, they’ve got other qualities, they’ve got other players,” and, “This is a team that is always raring to go. They’re a solid team that needs to be respected.” Egypt has beaten Belgium three times in four exhibition matches, and that record gives Hassan’s team one more detail to carry into Monday’s opener.
