Belgium and Egypt meet in Group G of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Monday, June 15, with an 8:00pm BST kick-off in Seattle. Both nations carry the weight of unfinished business into this tournament, and the stakes could hardly be higher for either side.

Belgium's golden generation — still delivering?

For the better part of a decade, Belgium were considered among the finest sides on the planet. Yet that golden era has steadily dimmed, marked by painful exits and high-profile retirements. Their group-stage elimination at Qatar 2022 still stings, and the pressure to finally deliver a major honour has followed this squad across the Atlantic.

The current squad retains three veterans who once helped Belgium top the FIFA world rankings: goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and striker Romelu Lukaku. All three will be desperate to recapture the spirit of Russia 2018, when Belgium finished third. Head coach Rudi Garcia, however, is clearly planning for the future, leaning on Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku and Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere to provide the attacking spark.

Belgium's qualifying campaign offered mixed signals. They finished top of their group but were held to draws by Kazakhstan and North Macedonia on two occasions. More encouraging were their recent friendlies, where they defeated Croatia 2-0 and hammered Tunisia 5-0.

Egypt's moment to break a historic drought

Egypt's World Cup record is a source of deep frustration — the Pharaohs have not won a single match across seven previous appearances, losing all three group games in 2018. This time, there is a palpable sense that the drought could finally end.

Much of that optimism rests on Mohamed Salah, the all-time great who gives Egypt a cutting edge they have long lacked on the world stage. Omar Marmoush, eager to reestablish himself after a difficult season at Manchester City, will look to play a supporting role in attack.

Egypt were the stronger qualifiers statistically, winning eight and drawing two of their 10 matches while conceding just two goals. Manager Hossam Hassan faces pressure, however, to unlock his attacking talent rather than rely on defensive resilience alone.

How to watch

The match is available to stream free in several regions: BBC One in the United Kingdom, RTÉ Player in Ireland, SBS On Demand in Australia, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey. Viewers in the United States can watch on Fox, accessible through Fox One, YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling, Fubo, or DirecTV.