Belgium and Egypt Draw 1-1 in World Cup Thriller

In a Group H encounter at the 2026 World Cup, Belgium and Egypt played out a 1-1 draw on Monday. Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute when Emam Ashour fired a shot into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the penalty area after a pass from Mohamed Salah.

Egypt had another chance in the 33rd minute as Mostafa Ziko's effort was saved by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. After the break, Belgium pressed forward: Kevin De Bruyne hit the left post from a free kick in the 53rd minute, and two minutes later Courtois denied Salah's shot.

Belgium made two substitutions in the 56th minute, and Romelu Lukaku replaced Charles De Ketelaere in the 66th minute. Shortly after, in the 66th minute, a cross from the right was turned into his own net by Egyptian defender Mohamed Hani under pressure from Lukaku, making it 1-1.

In the 73rd minute, Thomas Meunier's shot was saved by Egypt's goalkeeper Ufa Shobeir. Shobeir also denied Brendon Mechele's header in the 83rd minute. Lukaku had a chance in the 87th minute but headed over the bar.

The two teams had only met in friendlies before. Belgium's Jeremy Doku was in excellent form, while Egypt relied on Salah's attack.

Earlier in Group H, Kaboverde held Spain to a goalless draw in their World Cup debut. Later matches included Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay and Iran vs New Zealand.

This is the first World Cup featuring 48 teams, divided into 12 groups. The top two from each group and the best eight third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage, which begins June 28. The group stage ends June 27. Semifinals are scheduled for July 14 and 15, the third-place match on July 18, and the final on July 19. Argentina are the defending champions after beating France in 2022.