On their World Cup 2026 debut, the Pharaohs made a statement: on Monday 15 June, at Seattle’s Lumen Field, Egypt held Belgium — the world’s ninth-ranked nation — to a 1-1 draw in their Group G opener.
Belgium and their attacking armada were the talk of the build-up; it was the Pharaohs who struck first. In the 19th minute, against the run of play, Mohamed Salah threaded a clean ball to the edge of the box, and Emam Ashour did the rest. Caught cold, Rudi Garcia’s Belgium spent the night running into a remarkably disciplined Egyptian block. Resilience, commitment, composure: the now-familiar recipe of Hossam Hassan’s men. And behind the Liverpool captain, a whole swathe of African football revelled in it — after Cape Verde’s heroics against Spain, the continent confirmed it had not come to the United States to make up the numbers.
Belgium, for their part, probed for an opening that never came. It took an own goal from Mohamed Hany, in the 66th minute, to drag them back into the game — slim comfort given their billing as group favourites. De Bruyne, Doku, Trossard: the armada crashed against the Egyptian wall, unable to breach it a second time. A point apiece, then, but one that tastes very different on each side. Egypt, who face their remaining Group G rivals in the coming days, have launched their World Cup with a precious down payment. For Africa, it is one more signal.