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A positive draw (1-1) was decided by the confrontation between the national team of Egypt and the national team of Belgium on Monday evening at the Lumen Stadium, within the framework of the seventh group competition of the World Cup 2026, which is being held in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
After taking the lead in the first half, Egypt was on its way to a historic victory and was able to resist Belgium’s pressure for a long time, before equalizing with a friendly fire in the second half.
The draw earned both teams their first World Cup point ahead of the other Group G clash between Iran and New Zealand on Tuesday night.
Despite missing out on victory at crucial moments, Egypt put in a strong display against one of Europe’s top teams, sending a clear message to their rivals that they can compete strongly at the 2026 World Cup.
“Mustafa Shubert, Mohamed Hani, Hamdi Fathi, Yasser Ibrahim, Ahmed Fatuh, Marwan Atia, Muhannad Lashin, Imam Ashour, Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Mustafa Zico” participated in the game under the leadership of technical director Hossam Hassan.
Belgium coach Rudy Garcia, on the other hand, relied on a squad that included “Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Micheli, Timothée Castagne, Youri Tillmans, Amadou Onana, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard, Charles de Kittilari and Jeremy Dokuny”.
Salah celebrates his birthday with a historic achievement
The match also saw the rise of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, who played the game on his 34th birthday, becoming the oldest non-goalkeeper to represent Egypt at a World Cup finals.
Salah is historically the second-oldest player to play for the Pharaohs at the World Cup, behind legendary goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who still holds the record after entering 2018 at the age of 45 years and 161 days.
The Egypt captain also joined a notable historic list when he became only the seventh player in World Cup history to captain his country on his birthday, joining a group of big names including Antonio Carvajal, Michel Platini, Oliver Kahn, Patrick Vieira and Raul Gonzalez.
Salah’s outstanding numbers didn’t stop there as he equaled the all-time tally in Egyptian football after taking his tally to 28 in the national team’s opening matches at major tournaments, which include the World Cup and African Cup of Nations, putting him level with historic duo Ahmed Hassan and Essam El-Hadary at the top of the list.
Cautious start and early Egyptian pressure
At the start of the match, Belgium tried to impose their style, dominating the ball and exchanging passes in the center of the field, but the players of the Egyptian team showed great courage, applying early pressure and trying to confuse the opponent’s defense.
The Egyptians’ first attempts came through Mostafa Zico, who tried to break into the penalty area, but the Belgian defense was able to stop him. After that, the Pharaohs continued to experiment with short passes and quick movements in the middle of the field.
Belgium, on the other hand, responded with a dangerous chance after the ball found its way to Kevin De Bruyne on the edge of the box and he fired a powerful shot that went just wide of the post.
In the opening minutes, the Egyptian team imposed their personality on the match and managed to have 57% of the ball, while the Belgian team had 43% until the eighteenth minute.
In that period, Marwan Attia received a yellow card from the Egyptian national team, while Timothée Castan received a similar card from the Belgian side. Ahmed Fattu also made a dangerous pass, which goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois closed firmly.
Ashour fires a rocket into Courtois’ net
The 20th minute was a historic moment for the Pharaohs, after Imam Ashour managed to score the lead after an organized attack that started with a great pass from Mohamed Salah. Ashour received the ball outside the penalty area before rocketing into Thibaut Courtois’ net to seal Egypt’s lead with a free goal.
The goal had more than one historic significance as it was the first of Imam Ashour’s international career for the Egyptian national team. It also made him the fourth Egyptian player to score at a World Cup for the Pharaohs after Abdel Rahman Fawzi, Magdi Abdel Ghani and Mohamed Salah.
The goal was also a rare event in Egypt’s history at the World Cup, as it became only the second time the Pharaohs had progressed in a World Cup match since their 2018 match against Saudi Arabia.
⚽️🔥🔥 Imam Ashour translates Egypt’s advantage over his Belgian counterpart with a superb goal from a shot that cannot be blocked or returned.#WorldCup2026 |: #WorldCup2026 |: #World Cup#FIFAWorldCup2026 |: #fifaworldcup |: #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/ALrQwjhKqB
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 15, 2026
De Bruyne leads the Belgian rebellion
After the goal scored, the Belgian national team intensified its attempts to get back into the match, relying mainly on the movements of De Bruyne, Doku and Trossard.
De Bruyne almost leveled the ball inside the penalty area and struck hard, but Mustafa Schubert shone and cleared the ball brilliantly to preserve Egypt’s lead.
Imam Ashour, on the other hand, continued his offensive activity and led more than one quick counter-attack, while the Egyptian defense continued its distinctive organization in the face of constant pressure from Belgium.
Belgium also had a dangerous chance with Youri Tielemans’ header in the penalty area, but the ball went wide, much to the relief of the Egyptian fans.
Before the end of the first half, Egypt wasted a valuable chance to extend the lead when Mostafa Zico took a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, but Courtois managed to block it for a corner.
Schubert thwarts the attempts of the “red devils”.
The final minutes saw Ahmed Fattu booked and Hamdi Fathi pick up a minor injury after a heavy collision with Thielemans before the match continued as normal.
Belgium’s attempts continued through Trossard and Doku, but the defensive organization of the Pharaohs and the brilliance of Mustafa Schubert prevented the Egyptian network from being shaken.
The referee called for four minutes of stoppage time, which saw a dangerous chance for Belgium after the ball found its way to Jeremy Doku in the box, but he shot over the bar.
Egypt responded with a promising chance after Omar Marmoush took advantage of a defensive error and was left relatively alone with the goal, but his shot was weak for Courtois to easily catch it.
Egypt relives Algeria’s nightmare for Belgium
With the whistle blowing at the end of the first half, the Egyptian national team maintained their advantage with a goal by Imam Ashour, ending the first 45 minutes ahead of one of Europe’s most famous teams.
In context, the statistics showed a remarkable number for the Belgian national team, as the Red Devils fell behind in the first half of their World Cup opener for only the second time since 1990.
The first time was against Algeria in 2014, when they ended the first half with the same score (1-0), which recalled one of the rare memories of Belgium’s World Cup participation history.
Advantage for the Pharaohs… and the post shocks De Bruyne
Egypt started the second half with a clear attacking edge and almost added to their advantage early on when Zico fired the ball home from the penalty area. Belgium’s defense blocked it before it bounced to Marwan Atia, who followed it up with another shot, but good defensive positioning prevented him from finding the target.
The Belgian team responded with a dangerous attempt through Jeremy Doku, who broke into the penalty area and sent a cross, but the Egyptian defense was able to overcome and remove the danger.
Belgium kept up the pressure and were awarded a direct free-kick on the edge of the penalty area after being tripped by Marwan Attia. Kevin De Bruyne did it brilliantly, but Al-Qaim intervened to deny the Red Devils a goal and preserve the Pharaohs’ lead.
On the other hand, the Egyptian team tried to threaten Thibaut Courtois’s goal through Mohamed Salah’s cross ball, which reached Zico, but the latter failed to control it, losing a promising opportunity.
Salah and Marmush wasted… and a remarkable appearance by Schubert
Egypt wasted a golden chance to double the lead when Ahmed Fattuh played in a perfect cross from which Mohamed Salah rose to head it but Courtois flashed and cleared it so it bounced off Imam Ashour who shot wide.
After a great pass from Salah, Omar Marmouche also missed after a dangerous tackle when he reached the box and hit the ball over the bar under pressure from the Belgian defence.
In the 60th minute, the Belgian footballers demanded a penalty after Doku fell inside the area, but the referee ordered play to continue.
The Belgians’ attempts continued with Youri Tillmans’ powerful shot going wide of the post, before Mustafa Schubert began to emerge as the star of the match, blocking De Bruyne’s dangerous effort from inside the penalty area.
Schubert shone again when he latched on to De Bruyne’s dangerous cross to keep the Egyptian side in the lead under increasing pressure from the opposition.
An own goal ignites the match
Despite the stability of Egypt’s defense, Belgium managed to equalize the score in the 66th minute, painfully for the Pharaohs.
Thomas Meunier’s cross from the right was followed by Romelu Lukaku’s attempt to shoot across the face of goal, but the ball collided with Mohamed Hani and deflected into the net, allowing Belgium to equalize in a friendly.
This was the second own goal Belgium have won in World Cup history, following Fernandinho’s own goal against Brazil at the 2018 World Cup.
Mohamed Hany also made the unwanted list when he became the second Egyptian player to score an own goal at the World Cup after Ahmed Fathi against Russia in 2018.
The Belgian team played a draw with its Egyptian counterpart#WorldCup2026 |: #WorldCup2026 |: #World Cup#FIFAWorldCup2026 |: #fifaworldcup |: #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/fgFPfxdx1w
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 15, 2026
Schubert defies Belgian pressure
The equalizer gave a huge morale boost to Belgium, who stepped up their attacks in search of a goal to go ahead.
Mostafa Schubert shone again as he blocked Meunier’s dangerous shot in the box, before Egypt’s defense intervened in the last minute to block Thielmans’ dangerous pass towards Lukaku.
Belgium’s threat continued with a series of passes on the edge of the penalty area that ended with Lukaku’s strike, but the Egyptian defense was on hand to keep the ball out of the net and preserve the tie as the match entered its decisive phase.
