Written by: Badr Ahmed
The Egyptian national team began its journey in the 2026 World Cup with a valuable positive draw against its Belgian counterpart with a score of 1-1, in the match that brought them together at the Lumine Field Stadium in Seattle, USA, as part of the first round of Group Seven competitions, so that the Pharaohs earned their first point in the current edition of the World Cup.
The match witnessed a strong performance from the Egyptian national team against one of the most prominent European teams, as the players of coach Hossam Hassan presented a great match characterized by tactical discipline and fighting spirit, and they almost came out with a historic victory were it not for the Belgian equalizer in the second half.
Egypt and Belgium played to a draw in an exciting match at the 2026 World Cup.
The match began cautiously from both sides before Belgium threatened Mostafa Shobeir's goal in the seventh minute with a powerful shot from Kevin De Bruyne that went just wide of the post. Belgium continued their efforts, while Egypt relied on quick counter-attacks and the movements of Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, and Mostafa Zico. .
In the 19th minute, the Egyptian national team succeeded in opening the scoring after Mohamed Salah passed a perfect ball to Emam Ashour, who launched a rocket shot from outside the penalty area that settled in the net of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, announcing the Pharaohs’ lead with a wonderful goal that ignited the enthusiasm of the Egyptian fans.
After the goal, the Egyptian team's morale soared, and they continued their attacking pressure. Mostafa Zico nearly added a second goal in the 33rd minute with a powerful shot that Courtois brilliantly saved, deflecting it for a corner. Omar Marmoush also squandered a golden opportunity before halftime when he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his weak shot was easily saved by the Belgian keeper.
In contrast, the Belgian team tried to get back into the game before the end of the first half, but Mostafa Shobeir excelled in stopping De Bruyne's attempts, most notably a dangerous free kick that hit the post after a touch from the Egyptian goalkeeper.
Egypt secures a valuable point against Belgium
As the second half began, the Egyptian team continued to deliver a distinguished performance. Imam Ashour missed an opportunity to double the score in the 55th minute after following up on a ball that rebounded off Courtois, before Marmoush missed another clear opportunity in the 60th minute after shooting over the goal while in direct confrontation with the goalkeeper.
Despite Egypt's advantage at certain points in the match, the Belgian team managed to equalize in the 66th minute when a ball inside the penalty area was deflected into the net by defender Mohamed Hany, giving the Red Devils a goal to get back into the game.
The final minutes were very exciting, as the Belgian team pressed hard for a winning goal, but Mostafa Shobeir continued his brilliance and saved more than one dangerous opportunity, while Romelu Lukaku missed a clear chance in the 87th minute. On the other side, Ahmed Sayed Zizo demanded a penalty in the 89th minute after a challenge from one of the Belgian defenders, but the referee ordered play to continue.
With this result, the Egyptian national team earned an important point at the start of its journey in Group G, which also includes Iran and New Zealand, postponing the Pharaohs' dream of achieving their first victory in the history of their participation in the World Cup, while maintaining strong hopes of competing for a qualifying ticket to the next round during the next two rounds.
