Belgium will face Egypt, Iran and New Zealand in Group G at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, following Friday’s draw in Washington.
The matches are likely to take place late at night Belgian time due to the nine-hour time difference with the North American West Coast. The potential host cities include Vancouver, Seattle, and Los Angeles, where summer temperatures can be notably high. The group stage games will be played on 15, 21, and 26 June.
The detailed schedule will be announced on Saturday evening.
Belgium may need to get past Spain in the quarter finals
The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will progress to the knockout round. The winner of Group G will face the third-placed team from Groups A, E, H, I or J on 1 July in Seattle.
A victory in this match would mean staying in Seattle for the next game on 6 July, against the winner of Group D, which includes the United States, Paraguay, Australia, and the European playoff winner (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo).
Potential quarter-final opponents for Belgium could include reigning European champions and favourites, Spain.
Iran, the world’s 20th-ranked team according to FIFA, is considered one of the weaker opponents from Pot 2. Although they have never reached the second round of the tournament, they qualified as Group A winners in the Asian Confederation and will be participating in their seventh World Cup.
Their recent history has been marked by strained relations with the United States, including visa issues for several officials ahead of the draw. Despite prior remarks about boycotting the event, Iran sent a limited delegation to Washington. While the players and staff are expected to receive entry permits for the World Cup, access for officials, journalists, and fans remains uncertain.
Egypt, unbeaten in African qualifiers
Egypt, ranked 34th by FIFA, will arrive with star player Mo Salah, who led them to an unbeaten qualification campaign in Africa’s Group A. However,
Belgium’s memories of playing Egypt are less favourable. In 2022, the Red Devils suffered a shock 1–2 defeat against the Pharaohs in a friendly, foreshadowing their poor World Cup performance in Qatar. Egypt has yet to win a match in a World Cup final tournament despite qualifying for their fourth appearance.
New Zealand, ranked 86th globally, will be entering their third World Cup, having previously appeared in 1982 and 2010. They have not advanced past the group stage nor won a game in the finals thus far. Their qualification came via victory in the Oceanian Football Confederation playoff against New Caledonia. Belgium has never faced New Zealand in a match.
The composition of the groups is listed below.
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and the winner of European playoffs Group D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland).
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, and the winner of European playoffs Group A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland,Haiti.
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, and the winner of European playoffs Group C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo).
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Cote d'Ivoire, and Curaçao.
Group F: The Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and the winner of European playoffs Group B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania).
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand.
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde.
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, and the winner of Intercontinental Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Iraq, Suriname).
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, and Jordan.
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner of Intercontinental Playoff 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Congo).
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, and Ghana.
