Belgium 1-1 Egypt - 2026 World Cup Match Report and Player Ratings
Belgium 1-1 Egypt - 2026 World Cup Match Report and Player Ratings
Belgium took on Egypt at the Seattle Stadium in the opening fixture of Group G and were held to a 1-1 draw. This is Rudi Garcia's first major tournament in charge of the Belgian side. In 2018, Belgium reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, but in 2022, the side didn't make it out the group. Belgium are currently ranked ninth in the world and have never won the competition.
Fresh off heartbreak in the AFCON semi-final against Senegal, Egypt come to the World Cup having never qualified for the knockout rounds. This will be Mohamed Salah's last major tournament with Egypt, so he will be hoping to go out with a bang.
Emam Ashour scores his first international goal and Egypt have lift-off in Seattle! ✅
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 15, 2026
That is some finish 👏 pic.twitter.com/y9okPV0BS1
The first half began in somewhat unexpected fashion with Egypt on top. In the 20th minute, a fantastic passing move resulted in a goal from Emam Ashour. Receiving the ball outside of the box, Ashour steadied himself by taking a touch before rifling it past Thibaut Courtois to put the Pharaohs in front.
As the half went on, Egypt continued to look dangerous, and Belgium struggled to get out of second gear. Belgium had 7 shots in the first half to Egypt's 4, yet none of Belgium's shots found the target.
A slow start for Belgium.
Halftime Score: Belgium 0-1 Egypt
At the beginning of the second half, Belgium began to look more like the ninth best team in the world, and the introduction of Romelu Lukaku into proceedings helped immeasurably.
Around the 66th minute, Thomas Meunier sent in a low driven-cross into the box, Lukaku managed to get a touch on the ball, however it came off the boot of Mohamed Hany and went down as an own goal for Egypt, Nonetheless, Belgium had equalised and continued to mount the pressure.
Emam Ashour scores his first international goal and Egypt have lift-off in Seattle! ✅
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 15, 2026
That is some finish 👏 pic.twitter.com/y9okPV0BS1
As the game entered the final quarter, Egypt were now holding on. An astute defensive display by the Pharoahs helped them walk away with a point from the game, but Belgium may feel their performance warranted more.
Full Time Score: Belgium 1-1 Egypt
Belgium Player Ratings
- Thibaut Courtois (7)
- Thomas Meunier (7)
- Nathan Ngoy (7)
- Brandon Mechele (7)
- Timothy Castagne (7)
- Amadou Onana (5)
- Youri Tielemans (8)
- Leandro Trossard (6)
- Kevin De Bruyne (7)
- Jérémy Doku (6)
- Charles De Ketelaere (7)
- Maxim De Cuyper (6)
- Nicolas Raskin (6)
- Romelu Lukaku (7)
- Hans Vanaken (6)
- Matias Fernandez-Pardo (6)
Egypt Player Ratings
- Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir (8)
- Mohamed Hany (6)
- Yasser Ibrahim (7)
- Hamdi Fathi (7)
- Ahmed Abou El Fotouh (7)
- Mohanad Lasheen (8)
- Marwan Ateya (7)
- Mohamed Salah (7)
- Emam Ashour (8)
- Mostafa Ziko (6)
- Omar Marmoush (7)
- Rami Rabia (6)
- Hamza Abdelkarim (6)
- Zizo (6)
- Karim Hafez (6)
- Ibrahim Adel (6)
Man Of The Match - Emam Ashour
Al Ahly winger Emam Ashour put in a fantastic display for the Pharaohs today. Ashour's goal today marked his first ever for his country in 31 appearances.
Accompanied by the likes of Mohamed Salah, and Omar Marmoush, Emam Ashour can be very proud he left the field as the standout attacker.
Bad Day In The Office - Amadou Onana
The Aston Villa defensive-midfielder looked a shadow of the player we know in the Premier League. To give him some credit, Onana has had less of a break than others before the World Cup owing to Aston Villa's Europa League triumph, however, being hooked from the field of play after 56 minutes does not bode well for the 24-year old.
Harry Pascoe 
Jake Brown 
