Belgium’s national football team has been drawn into the same World Cup group as Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand.
New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley described Belgium as “a team of high level, one of the ten best countries in the world.”
Speaking in a video released by his football federation, Bazeley said, “It’s a good group, with tough opponents, but we expected every match to be challenging.”
He acknowledged that New Zealand has played against some of the group’s teams in recent years, adding, “It could have been an even more difficult draw, but it remains a big challenge.”
For Belgium, Egypt is likely to be the toughest opponent in the group.
Egyptian FA President Hani Abourida called the draw a “balanced group” but emphasised it was far from easy.
“At this level, no match is simple. All qualified teams are strong,” he remarked. He stressed Egypt’s aspiration to compete with respect while aiming to achieve historic progress in the tournament.
Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei shared similar sentiments. “Football has evolved. There are no easy teams anymore,” he said on the Iranian FA’s website.
Ghalenoei argued that their group is stronger compared to others and stressed the importance of preparing as well as possible for the competition.
