We're continuing our 2026 World Cup preview series with a look at Group G.
Belgium are the clear favorites, but Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand will all like their odds of advancing in a group that feels wide open
Catch up on all our other previews here:
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
TEAMS: Belgium 🇧🇪 | Egypt 🇪🇬 | Iran 🇮🇷 | New Zealand 🇳🇿
Belgium 🇧🇪
FIFA World Ranking: 9
Belgium's "golden generation" has, in large part, aged out. Gone are stalwarts like Jan Vertonghen, Toby Aderweireld, Axel Witsel, Eden Hazard, and others who made up one of the most elite on-paper squads in recent memory, but one that ultimately failed to deliver on the biggest stages.
That doesn't mean there's nothing left. Kevin De Bruyne is 34 and still the most dangerous passer in the group. Thibaut Courtois is still one of the best goalkeepers in the game. And Jeremy Doku brings pace and unpredictability that the other three teams simply can't match.
The primary questions are at the back. Belgium's defense is the part that aged fastest, and head coach Rudi Garcia's side covers it with possession and stellar goalkeeping, rather than with a settled backline. De Bruyne missed five months after hamstring surgery in October, but walked back into a starting lineup in March and promptly helped put five past the United States in Atlanta.
Striker Romelu Lukaku is the real concern. Garcia called him "out of shape" at the squad announcement, with just 64 minutes of competitive football since the start of the 2025-26 season with Napoli. A long tournament asks a lot, and Belgium's ceiling rises and falls with how quickly Lukaku finds his feet.
Belgium are good enough to win this group comfortably, but they're shaky enough to lose a knockout game to anyone.
How they qualified: Group J winners in European qualifying
Best-ever finish: Third place (2018)
Odds to win World Cup: +4000
Key player: The offense still runs through Kevin De Bruyne, whether he's fresh or not. He doesn't need to dominate 90 minutes, but if you give him one opening, he'll find it.
X-factor: Jeremy Doku. When Belgium get stuck, he's the one who is able to break a low block on his own.
What's their ceiling? If they get hot and stay healthy, they have the talent to win it all.
Projection: Belgium win the group. How they do in the knockouts will depent on how their aging backline holds up.
Fun fact: French fries are likely Belgian, not French. According to the most widely cited origin story, residents of Belgium's Meuse Valley have been frying potato strips since the late 1600s. American soldiers stationed in Belgium during World War I encountered them, called them "French" because the local language was French, and the name stuck.
Egypt 🇪🇬
FIFA World Ranking: 29
Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah turns 34 on the day Egypt open the tournament. He has spent a career being the best player on every field he's walked onto for the Pharaohs, and he arrives at what is almost certainly his last World Cup two goals short of the national scoring record, held, of all people, by his own manager.
Hossam Hassan scored 69 goals for Egypt and now coaches them, fresh off an AFCON semifinal run. In his side, Salah is the finisher and Omar Marmoush provides everything around him; pace, pressing, a second threat that didn't exist the last time Egypt were here. If Egypt can get a result against Belgium in their group opener, everything opens up. This is Egypt's fourth World Cup, and they have never made it out of the group stage. It would be a fitting end to Salah's incredibly international career to be the one to deliver.
How they qualified: Group A winners, CAF (Africa) qualifying.
Best-ever finish: Group stage (1990, 2018).
Odds to win World Cup: +30000
Key player: Almost 34, Mohamed Salah can still single-handedly decide a game, the way he's decided so many for Liverpool.
X-factor: Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush gives Egypt a second line of attack, the runner and creator who keeps defenses from solely focusing on Salah.
What's their ceiling? They could feasibly pull off a few upsets and make a run to the Round of 16, but it would take everything going their way.
Projection: Salah and Marmoush are the best attacking pair outside of Belgium in this group. Egypt finish in second.
Fun fact: Cleopatra lived closer to the present day than to the building of the Great Pyramid. In fact, the Great Pyramid was already over 2,500 years old when Cleopatra ruled.
Play in our 2026 World Cup fantasy league on the new Fantasy Utd app!
Iran 🇮🇷
FIFA World Ranking: 20
This is Iran's seventh World Cup, and the sixth straight attempt to advance from the group stage.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei's side is built on organization. They defend in numbers, stay compact, and make teams break down all 11 men.
This World Cup is full of complications. The ongoing war between the United States and Iran has made things incredibly complicated for Iran's team. For a while, Iran said publicly that they would not participate. They'll play, but they've switched their base camp from Tuscon, Arizona, to Tijunana, Mexico. However, all three of their group matches are in the United States (two in Los Angeles, one in Seattle). Obtaining visas has been a struggle, with many staff being denied entry into the United States.
To boot, Sardar Azmoun, Iran's third-highest all-time scorer, isn't here. He was dropped in March after a social media post during the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel was deemed an act of disloyalty by Iranian regime, and was controversially left off the roster. He and his 57 international goals will be watching from home. That leaves the attack entirely on the shoulders of captain Mehdi Taremi, who plays for Olympiacos in Greece and has 60 goals in 105 caps, the most ever for Iran.
Iran's matches and the entirety of the tournament around them bring heated tensions. If they finish second in the group and the United States end up in the same position in Group D, the two sides could meet in the Round of 32, which would be one of the most geopolitically charged matches in World Cup history.
How they qualified: Group A winners in Asian qualifying.
Best-ever finish: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Odds to win World Cup: +70000
Key player: Mehdi Taremi. The 33-year-old Olympiacos striker, Iran's captain, and only true No. 9 of this level, has more than 50 goals across more than 90 caps. All of Iran's chance creation is aimed at him,
X-factor: Their defensive shape. Iran are at their best when a game is ugly and tight, they'll make Belgium and Egypt work hard to break them down.
What's their ceiling? A third-place finish could be good enough to sneak through as one of the best third-placed teams, and they could ride their defensive organization to a shock Round of 16 appearance.
Projection: Third in the group, and knocked out in the Round of 32.
Fun fact: Iran produces roughly 90% of the world's saffron, the most expensive spice on earth by weight, retailing for thousands of dollars per pound. The country's saffron industry dates back over 3,000 years, and the spice was historically more valuable than gold in many ancient trading systems.
New Zealand 🇳🇿
FIFA World Ranking: 85
This is New Zealand's first time at a World Cup since 2010. Last time, they were eliminated from the group stage with three draws, just one of two unbeaten teams in World Cup history to go home. Sixteen years later, two of the players from that squad are back. Chris Wood, now 34 and the captain, and Tommy Smith, 36, become the first New Zealanders to appear at two men's World Cups.
Darren Bazeley's All Whites are one of the longest shots at the tournament and they know it. 85th in the FIFA World Rankings, they're the lowest-ranked team at the tournament an more than 60 spots below 29th-ranked Egypt, the next-closest team in the group.
Minnesota United defender Michael Boxall scored the goal that got them here, a header against New Caledonia in March that ended a 16-year World Cup absence. Chris Wood came back from knee surgery just in time to captain them, and the plan is simple: make every match a slog and see what one set piece can do. They defend compactly and tend to only throw bodies forward on attacking throw-ins or set pieces.
They qualified fairly easily from Oceania, but have had a tergid record in friendly matches during their preparations for the tournament. While it's hard to fully judge their quality, they'll be significant underdogs in every match they play.
How they qualified: Oceania winners.
Best-ever finish: Group stage (1982, 2010)
Odds to win World Cup: +150000
Key player: Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is New Zealand's all-time leading scorer with 45 goals, and the only reliable goal source in this squad. Their ceiling is tied directly to whether he stays fit and is able to finish chances after coming back from knee surgery.
X-factor: 26-year-old Motherwell midfielder Elijah Just is their creative hub, and he'll need to set up chances from open play for them to have a shot.
What's their ceiling? Getting out of the group stage would be historic for this team, but even that feels like a long shot.
Projection: Fourth place in the group. Getting a point or two would be a celebratory accomplishment.
Fun fact: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit films were shot almost entirely in New Zealand, transforming the country's tourism industry. The Hobbiton movie set in Matamata remains a working tourist attraction visited by over 600,000 people per year, and director Peter Jackson is now one of the country's most decorated knights.
Group G wrap
Predicted final standings:
| Pos | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | Advances to Round of 32 |
| 2 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | Advances to Round of 32 |
| 3 | 🇮🇷 Iran | Best-third-place contender |
| 4 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Eliminated |
The match that decides it: Belgium vs Egypt on June 15 in Seattle is the opening game of the group. If Egypt take a point or better, the path to second place stays open for three teams. If Belgium win comfortably, it's effectively a race for second place.
Best third-place watch: Iran. Their defensive structure keeps them in every game, and four points from three matches is realistic. Beat New Zealand and hold Belgium or Egypt to a draw, and they should be able to get out as a third-place team. Four points should guarantee it.
