Group G — FIFA World Cup 2026
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Belgium | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 |  Egypt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fixtures
| # | Date | Home | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2026-06-15 | Belgium | Egypt | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| 16 | 2026-06-15 | Iran | New Zealand | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 38 | 2026-06-21 | Belgium | Iran | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 40 | 2026-06-21 | New Zealand | Egypt | BC Place, Vancouver |
| 65 | 2026-06-26 | Egypt | Iran | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| 66 | 2026-06-26 | New Zealand | Belgium | BC Place, Vancouver |
Group G team comparison
| Stat | Belgium | Egypt | Iran | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Ranking | 7th | 33rd | 20th | 94th |
| World Cup Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Cup Appearances | 14 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Best WC Finish | 3rd place (2018) | Group stage (all) | Group stage (all) | Group stage (all) |
| Last WC Result | Group stage (2022) | Group stage (2018) | Group stage (2022) | Group stage (2010) |
| Manager | Domenico Tedesco | Hossam Hassan | Amir Ghalenoei | Darren Bazeley |
| Captain | Kevin De Bruyne | Mohamed Salah | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | Chris Wood |
| Star Player | Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) | Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) | Mehdi Taremi (Inter Milan) | Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) |
| Qualification Route | UEFA Group H — 1st | CAF Group A — 1st | AFC 3rd Round — Group A 1st | OFC Qualifying — 1st |
All four teams compared.
Qualifying campaign statistics
| Stat | Belgium | Egypt | Iran | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification Path | UEFA Group H | CAF Group A | AFC Third Round | OFC Qualifying |
| Qualifying Matches | 10 | 10 | 16 | 6 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 6-3-1 | 5-4-1 | 10-3-3 | 6-0-0 |
| Win Rate | 60% | 50% | 62.5% | 100% |
| Goals Scored | 18 | 12 | 25 | 31 |
| Goals Conceded | 9 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| Goal Difference | +9 | +5 | +15 | +28 |
| Clean Sheets | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Top Qualifier Scorer | Romelu Lukaku (4 goals) | Mohamed Salah (5 goals) | Mehdi Taremi (8 goals) | Chris Wood (10 goals) |
All-time World Cup records
| Stat | Belgium | Egypt | Iran | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC Appearances | 13 (+ 2026 = 14th) | 3 (+ 2026 = 4th) | 5 (+ 2026 = 6th) | 2 (+ 2026 = 3rd) |
| Total WC Matches | 51 | 8 | 15 | 6 |
| WC Wins | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| WC Goals Scored | 72 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| Best Finish | 3rd place (2018) | Group stage | Group stage | Group stage |
| All-Time WC Top Scorer | Romelu Lukaku (4 goals) | Mohamed Salah (2 goals) | Gholamreza Enayati (2 goals) | Shane Smeltz / Chris Wood (1 goal each) |
| WC Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head history
All-time H2H summary
| Matchup | Played | Team A Wins | Draws | Team B Wins | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium vs Egypt | 3 | 2 (Belgium) | 0 | 1 (Egypt) | 8 |
| Belgium vs Iran | 4 | 3 (Belgium) | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Belgium vs New Zealand | 1 | 1 (Belgium) | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Egypt vs Iran | 6 | 2 (Egypt) | 2 | 2 (Iran) | 11 |
| Egypt vs New Zealand | 1 | 1 (Egypt) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Iran vs New Zealand | 3 | 1 (Iran) | 2 | 0 | 4 |
World Cup meetings
| Year | Match | Score | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Belgium vs Algeria | 2-1 | Group H | Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
| 2018 | Belgium vs England | 1-0 | Group G | Kaliningrad, Russia |
| 2018 | Iran vs Morocco | 1-0 | Group B | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Belgium are favoured but Egypt bring Mohamed Salah — one of the world's best players. Iran have been consistent AFC qualifiers.
Key players — stats
| Player | Team | Position | Club | Age | Int'l Caps | Int'l Goals | WC Appearances | WC Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin De Bruyne | | MF (captain) | Manchester City | 35 | 105+ | 25+ | 3 (2014, 2018, 2022) | 1 |
| Romelu Lukaku | | FW | Napoli | 33 | 120+ | 85+ | 3 (2014, 2018, 2022) | 4 |
| Mohamed Salah | | FW (captain) | Liverpool | 34 | 100+ | 55+ | 1 (2018) | 2 |
| Omar Marmoush | | FW | Manchester City | 27 | 25+ | 8+ | 0 | 0 |
| Mehdi Taremi | | FW | Inter Milan | 33 | 80+ | 45+ | 2 (2018, 2022) | 1 |
| Chris Wood | | FW (captain) | Nottingham Forest | 34 | 75+ | 35+ | 0 | 0 |
Group G predictions
Advancement probability
| Team | Win Group | Finish 2nd | Finish 3rd (qualify) | Finish 3rd (eliminated) | Finish 4th | Total Advance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 45% | 30% | 12% | 8% | 5% | 87% |
| Egypt | 25% | 30% | 20% | 15% | 10% | 75% |
| Iran | 20% | 25% | 18% | 17% | 20% | 63% |
| New Zealand | 10% | 15% | 15% | 25% | 35% | 40% |
Probabilities based on pre-tournament rankings, qualifying form, and star player impact.
Predicted finish order
| Position | Team | Predicted Pts | Predicted GD | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Belgium | 7 | +3 | Golden generation's last dance. De Bruyne and Lukaku still world-class. |
| 2nd | Egypt | 5 | +1 | Salah factor. Marmoush adds a second threat. Well-organized. |
| 3rd | Iran | 4 | +1 | Taremi (Inter) brings Serie A quality. Tough to break down. |
| 4th | New Zealand | 1 | -3 | Chris Wood leads the line but overall squad depth is limited. |
Key match predictions
| Match | Prediction | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium vs Egypt (MD1) | Belgium 2-1 | Blockbuster: De Bruyne vs Salah. Belgium edge it in Seattle. |
| Iran vs New Zealand (MD1) | Iran 1-0 | Iran's defensive discipline proves decisive in LA. |
| Belgium vs Iran (MD2) | Belgium 1-0 | Tight game. Belgium just about in control. |
| New Zealand vs Egypt (MD2) | Egypt 2-0 | Salah inspires Egypt in Vancouver. |
| Egypt vs Iran (MD3) | Draw 1-1 | Both qualified — low stakes, tactical game in Seattle. |
| New Zealand vs Belgium (MD3) | Belgium 3-0 | Belgium finish strongly in Vancouver. |
Group G venues
| Stadium (FIFA Name) | City | Country | Capacity | Altitude | Group G Matches | Other WC Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium) | Seattle |  USA | 68,740 | 0m | MD1: BEL-EGY, MD3: EGY-IRN | 4 total incl. R16 |
| SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium) | Los Angeles | USA | 70,240 | 30m | MD1: IRN-NZL, MD2: BEL-IRN | 6 total incl. QF |
| BC Place (Vancouver Stadium) | Vancouver |  Canada | 54,500 | 0m | MD2: NZL-EGY, MD3: NZL-BEL | 4 total |
Group G is played on the US/Canada West Coast — Seattle, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Perfect for travel-efficient scheduling.
Group G analysis
Group G features a clash of generations. Belgium's golden generation — led by Kevin De Bruyne (35) and Romelu Lukaku (33) — are playing what is almost certainly their final World Cup. The question is whether Father Time has caught up. Egypt bring Mohamed Salah, who at 34 remains one of the world's most dangerous attackers.
Iran are perennial AFC qualifiers and have Mehdi Taremi at Inter Milan providing genuine Serie A quality. They're tough to break down and drew with England in 2022 before a dramatic 1-2 loss. New Zealand qualified through OFC and Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) gives them a Premier League focal point, but squad depth is their weakness.