Group G stands out as potentially one of the most open groups at the World Cup this summer, where Belgium will be fancied to progress at the winners.
Outside of the Belgians, Group G looks wide open, and potentially offers a fantastic opportunity for one of the lesser ranked nations to reach the knockout rounds.
Egypt will sense an chance to reach the knockout stages for the first time in almost a century, while Iran and New Zealand will hope to progress beyond the group stage for the first time in their history.
Teams
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Fixtures
Date | Fixture | Kick-off (BST) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
15th June | Belgium v Egypt | 20:00 | Lumen Field |
16th June | Iran v New Zealand | 02:00 | SoFi Stadium |
21st June | Belgium vs Iran | 20:00 | SoFi Stadium |
21st June | New Zealand vs Egypt | 02:00 | BC Place |
27th June | Egypt vs Iran | 04:00 | Lumen Field |
27th June | New Zealand vs Belgium | 04:00 | BC Place |
Belgium
Belgium head into Group G at the World Cup as strong favourites to progress, and indeed top the group.
Rugy Garcia's men look to have landed a rather straightforward route to the knockout stages and banish the demons of their last World Cup campaign, when the Red Devils failed to progress from their group at Qatar 2022.
Manager
Rudi Garcia
Frenchman Rudi Garcia is an experienced and well travelled manager, with the 62-year-old previously managing the likes of Lille, Roma, Lyon and Napoli across a 32-year career.
The Belgium job is his first as a national team boss however, replacing former manager Dominic Tedesco after the Red Devils' Round of 16 exit at Euro 2024.
Key Player
Kevin De Bruyne
Despite his advancing years Kevin De Bruyne still remains a key figure for Belgium at international level, as evidenced by his 119 caps for his nation.
The 34-year-old won seven Premier League titles with Manchester City but is yet to taste success in a Belgium shirt.
De Bruyne was the leader of the fabled Belgian golden generation, alongside teammates Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku, but is yet to reach a major international final.
Breakout Player
Matias Fernandez-Pardo
21-year-old Matias Fernandez-Pardo enjoyed a breakout campaign with club side Lille in Ligue 1 this season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in the French top tier.
Adept at playing any position across the forward line, Fernandez-Pardo was eligible for both Spain and Italy but declared for Belgium last month.
He has been linked with moves to several elite clubs across Europe this summer, including £70m moves to both Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
Odds
Belgium are heavily fancied to not only progress from Group G, but also top the standings. Anything other than progression from the group would be deemed a huge failure for the Red Devils.
Egypt
Taking part in just their second World Cup of this century, Egypt visit North America with genuine ambitions of reaching the knockout stages for the first time since way back in 1934.
The Egyptians have only ever appeared at three World Cup's in their history, with the most recent being the 2018 tournament in Russia when they finished bottom of their group after losing all three of their matches.
Manager
Hossam Hassan
Egypt boss Hossam Hassan is a stalwart of Egyptian football spending the entirety of his 18-year managerial career in charge of clubs across the country, with the exception of a brief stint as Jordan manager in 2013-14.
Hassan is second on the all-time appearance list for the Pharaohs and the highest all-time goalscorer, winning three AFCON titles as a player for his nation.
Key Player
Mohamed Salah
The undoubted star in the Egyptian squad is outgoing Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.
Captain and talisman for his national team, Salah is second on the all-time goalscorer list for his nation, behind his current manager, and will surely have a decisive impact for Egypt once more this summer.
Breakout Player
Hamza Abdelkarim
The youngest member of Egypt's World Cup squad could be one to watch in North America - 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim was prolific at youth level for his nation.
Abdelkarim completed a move to Barcelona in January and although he is unlikely to start for Egypt, he could be one to watch during the tournament.
Odds
Egypt have been handed a relatively favourable draw and, due to the presence of star players Salah and Omar Marmoush in their forward line, hold a serious chance of progression from Group G this summer.
Iran
Iran are making a fourth consecutive World Cup appearance and the Middle Eastern nation will hope to progress past the group stages for the first time in their history.
The three-time Asian Cup champions topped their qualifying group to qualify for the tournament in North America.
Manager
Amir Ghalenoei
Amir Ghalenoei is a former Iranian international and has been manager of the national team since 2023, where he has enjoyed decent success, winning 31 of his 45 matches in charge.
Ghalenoei also took charge of his nation briefly from 2006-07 but lost his job due to scrutiny surrounding their Asian Cup exit to South Korea.
Key Player
Mehdi Taremi
Mehdi Taremi captains the Iranian side and the 33-year-old is the star player for his nation at the World Cup.
Taremi plays his club football as a strong level, representing Olympiacos in Greece, and is second on the all-time goalscorer list for Iran with 60 goals in 105 games.
Breakout Player
Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh
Iran's 2026 World Cup squad appears to be one lacking in young talent, with no players aged under 20 in the squad, while a remarkable 16 are aged 30 or over.
One player on the younger side who may make an impact however is 25-year-old winger Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh.
Scoring five times in 18 appearances for his nation, Hosseinzadeh earned a move to Charleroi in Belgium in 2022, where he played 23 times in the Belgian Pro League before returning to the Iranian league.
Odds
Whilst outsiders to top Group G, Iran look to have a decent chance at progressing past the group stage for the first time.
Victory over group favourites Belgium looks unlikely, but the most important matches for Iran will be against Egypt and New Zealand. If the Iranians can find a way past both of those, they will make the knockout stages.
New Zealand
Making their first World Cup appearance since 2010 and just their second in their history, New Zealand are considered the outsiders in Group G.
Taking advantage of the new ruling which offered Oceania nations a direct qualification for the World Cup, New Zealand cruised through qualifying, conceding just one goal on their way.
Manager
Darren Bazeley
Initially an EFL stalwart, New Zealand boss Darren Bazeley played 442 times for Watford, Wolves and Walsall before moving to New Zealand where he ended his career and took up coaching.
Bazeley coached his way through the All Whites' youth system before being named head coach of the senior team in 2023.
Key Player
Chris Wood
The undisputed talisman of the New Zealand squad is captain and top goalscorer Chris Wood.
Nottingham Forest forward Wood also holds the record for most caps for his nation and the 34-year-old target man will undoubtably be the leading light for his nation this summer.
Breakout Player
Tyler Bindon
Young defender Tyler Bindon could be one to watch for the All Whites at the World Cup this summer, The 21-year-old centre-back stands at 6ft 3in and is already an integral part of New Zealand's defence, with 21 caps to his name.
Bindon, like captain Wood, plays for Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, but spent last season on loan in the Championship with Sheffield United, where he made 25 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.
Odds
New Zealand are considered long outsiders to top Group G, and are also not fancied to progress past the group stage.
However one win against any of their less fancied opponents could open up an opportunity to qualify in third place, or potentially sneak through in second position.
World Cup Group Previews
- World Cup Group A Preview: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- World Cup Group B Preview: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
- World Cup Group C Preview: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- World Cup Group D Preview: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye
- World Cup Group E Preview: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- World Cup Group F Preview: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- World Cup Group H Preview: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- World Cup Group I Preview: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- World Cup Group J Preview: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- World Cup Group K Preview: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- World Cup Group L Preview: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Odds displayed in the above article were correct at time of writing and are subject to change or withdrawal at any time.
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