Group G features European heavyweights Belgium alongside Egypt, Iran and New Zealand
Belgium start against Egypt in Seattle
Iran face New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in the early hours of Tuesday
Follow every World Cup 2026 score with LiveScore
European heavyweights Belgium kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle on Monday evening.
That clash will be followed by Iran against New Zealand in the early hours of Tuesday morning with both sides looking to get off to a winning start.
Belgium are regarded as the favourites to win Group G, though with Egypt and Iran both currently ranked inside FIFA’s top 30 nations, they will need to be at their very best to achieve that feat.
Best Bets:
Belgium to win and both teams to score @ 13/5
Iran to score over 1.5 goals @ 11/10
Belgium vs Egypt (Monday, 8pm)
Finishing third as recently as 2018 in what was their best ever World Cup performance, Belgium arrive in North America as a side in transition in terms of personnel.
Viewed by many as possessing their golden generation of talent over the past 10 years or so, a number of key players have retired recently, which may have alleviated previous pressures as they look to claim their first ever World Cup title.
The Red Devils came through qualifying unbeaten, winning five and drawing three of their eight matches while netting 29 goals in total, the second-most of any European nation behind only Erling Haaland’s Norway.
Manager Rudi Garcia will hope that his side can produce something similar at the Finals, but their opening fixture looks challenging on paper as they face off with Egypt.
The Pharaohs are currently ranked as the 29th best side in world football according to FIFA, and they too proved unbeatable during their qualification campaign for this tournament.
Winning eight and drawing two of their 10 matches, it was their defence that proved to be their most important asset, conceding just two goals in total which was the second-fewest of any African nation.
That backline will be in for a much tougher test in this opening fixture however, and given that Egypt have failed to win any of their seven World Cup fixtures, they’ll need to produce something special in order to win this match.
Score prediction: Belgium 2-1 Egypt
The latest Belgium vs Egypt odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Iran vs New Zealand (Tuesday, 2am)
Iran make their 2026 World Cup bow by facing New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Tuesday, with both teams perhaps looking at this game as a must-win for their hopes of progression.
This is Iran's seventh World Cup campaign on the whole and fourth in succession, but having never progressed from the group stages, they will be hoping to finally reach the knockout stage for the first time.
During qualifying, Amir Ghalenoei’s side were unbeaten across their six matches, netting 16 goals in total while conceding just four, and with their warm-up friendlies also going to plan, they look well-placed to make a winning start.
Victories against Gambia and Mali by two-goal margins highlight their ability to grind out wins, and with the latter ranked 29 places higher than New Zealand, Iran will fancy their chances of an opening win.
In contrast, the All Whites’ preparations for their first World Cup since 2010 have hardly gone well, as a heavy 4-0 defeat to Haiti was followed by a 1-0 loss to England in their final warm-up match.
Those results highlighted both their defensive shortcomings and also their lack of goalscoring ability, now failing to score in four of their last five internationals.
That could spell disaster for the competition's lowest ranked nation, and if they cannot find a way to improve across the board quickly, another defeat in this opening fixture looks to be a very likely outcome.
Score prediction: Iran 2-0 New Zealand
The latest Iran vs New Zealand odds are available on LiveScore Bet
See all World Cup 2026 fixtures and group tables.
