Egypt begin their World Cup journey on Monday with a highly-anticipated clash against Belgium, who consider the Pharaohs to be their toughest opposition in a balanced Group G.
Hossam Hassan’s men have been preparing for their opening game at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, before they travelled 450km west on Saturday (40-minute flight) to take on the Belgians at Lumen Field in Seattle.
All eyes on Salah and Marmoush
The two teams are joined by Iran and New Zealand in the group, but Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said on Thursday that he has his eyes firmly fixed on Egypt, who pose a serious threat via dynamic duo Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush.
“It’s definitely a big thing to start well especially against Egypt that are, I think, the strongest team that we face, so it’s important to win,” said the Real Madrid shot stopper.
Courtois and Salah were teammates for about a year at Chelsea back in 2014 and were opponents when Real Madrid downed Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris in 2022.
“Mo is a good friend. We played together and often against each other. He’s a great player, important to Egypt, together with Marmoush. Hopefully it’s the same as the final in Paris. Then I’ll be happy,” said Courtois with a grin.
“He’s a top player, so we have to watch out for the transition game, especially with the two of them. I think we’ll put up a tough block against them. They’ll try to hurt us with counter-attacking. That’s where their quality is. We need to be alert.”
Marmoush earned his 50th cap during Egypt’s 2-1 defeat to Brazil last week but unlike Salah, who led the Pharaohs in Russia 2018, the Man City forward will be making his World Cup debut on Monday.
“We’re not just going to play in the World Cup - we're going to compete for a championship. Of course, we must be realistic; we're playing against some of the best teams in the world, and the level of the nations we'll be facing is very high. But we're not going thinking we will just play three matches and leave. God willing, we will succeed,” Marmoush told his club’s digital magazine.
“Our ambitions are high and the confidence among the players is very high that hopefully we can do something and raise Egypt's name. We want to show ourselves in a good way, and we can dream of winning the tournament too, or of reaching a certain stage. We're not going just to make a name for ourselves – it is not a case of, ‘We went to the World Cup’ and that's it.
“With the players we have, with the team we have, with the quality we have, and as the Egyptian national team, we are the best team in Africa. We go to the World Cup to pass the group stage, to show the world who we are, not just to be present.”
Salah turns 34 on Monday and will be hoping to make it a double celebration with success against Belgium. The former Liverpool winger top-scored for Egypt with nine goals during their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign and netted twice at Russia 2018.
Salah didn’t start against Brazil last week but will no doubt lead the team from the beginning against Belgium.
The quest for an elusive win
With a record of two draws and five losses, Egypt have not claimed a single victory in any of their three previous World Cup appearances but there is great optimism, not just among the players and coaching staff, but among those watching at home, that that can change this month in North America.
Ahmed El Shenawy, goalkeeper of Pyramids FC and formerly of the Egyptian national team, believes the Pharaohs should capitalise on this new expanded World Cup format and advance to the knockouts for the very first time.
“Inshallah the national team goes far,” he told On Sport on Thursday. “All the players are big players and big names and hopefully our [Europe-based] players will carry us. I hope we can do something different this World Cup.
Best of World Cup 2026 - in pictures
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US President Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino alongside the 2026 World Cup champions: Spain. Reuters -
Ferran Torres scores Spain's first goal past Argentina's Emiliano Martinez in the 106th minute of extra time at the World Cup final. Reuters -
Argentina's Lionel Messi after losing out to Spain in the final. Reuters -
England's players with their medals, after winning the third-place play-off against France in Miami. AFP -
French striker Kylian Mbappe challenges English defender Ezri Konsa at the Miami Stadium. AFP -
England forward Bukayo Saka, centre, celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal. AFP -
Enzo Fernandez of Argentina celebrates scoring the equaliser against England at Atlanta Stadium. AFP -
Anthony Gordon scores the opening goal for England against Argentina. EPA -
Spain's players celebrate after beating France to reach the World Cup final. Reuters -
Spanish forward Lamine Yamal, left, is challenged by French defender Theo Hernandez in Arlington. AFP -
France forward Kylian Mbappe shows his disappointment during the semi-final defeat to Spain. AFP -
Mikel Merino celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Belgium in Inglewood. AFP -
Messi controls the ball against Switzerland's Granit Xhaka during the quarter-final match between Argentina and Switzerland in Kansas City. AFP -
Jude Bellingham celebrates after winning the quarter-final match between Norway and England in Miami. AFP -
France talisman Kylian Mbappe was on target in his team's 2-0 quarter-final victory over Morocco. EPA -
Gessime Yassine looks dejected after the match as Morocco's World Cup comes to an end. Reuters -
Fans in Buenos Aires celebrate Argentina's victory against Egypt. Getty Images -
Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Egypt in Atlanta. AFP -
Gregor Kobel of Switzerland saves Cucho Hernandez's penalty for Colombia in the shoot-out in Vancouver. AFP -
Portugal's Bernardo Silva is left in disbelief after a missed chance against Spain, in Arlington. Reuters -
Cristiano Ronaldo is dejected after the match against Spain, as his Portugal team are eliminated from the World Cup. Reuters -
Belgium's Hans Vanaken scores their third goal past Matt Freese of the US, in Seattle. Reuters -
Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere scores their first goal against the US. Reuters -
Australian referee Alireza Faghani shows a red card to England defender Jarell Quansah against Mexico. AFP -
Erling Haaland scores his and Norway's second goal against Brazil. AFP
"We have a big chance because the World Cup has a different format and there are more teams, so you have a real chance of making the knockouts. God willing, they can go as far as possible. I don’t want to exaggerate but just pass the group stage and things can go well for us.”
Morocco’s run to the semi-finals at Qatar 2022 has provided hope and inspiration for all Arab teams and El Shenawy feels Egypt can pull off a similar surprise.
“If we advance, things can flow for us and the players can focus even more and think ‘Why not? We are doing something big so let’s keep going’. So they could potentially push themselves to continue and who knows, things can happen for us like it did for Morocco,” he added.
Egypt in high spirits
All reports from Egypt’s camp indicate the spirits are high and the squad is ready to begin their campaign.
Promising performances in friendlies against Saudi Arabia, Spain, Russia, and Brazil have instilled confidence within the players, who were reminded by Hassan during their final practice in Spokane on Saturday that they have what it takes to threaten the best teams in the world.
Hassan has been seen kicking the ball with the players during warm-ups and is known for his motivational leadership style.
The former striker, who is Egypt’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 69 to his name (Salah is just two goals shy of Hassan’s record), has guided the Pharaohs to 18 victories, seven draws, and five losses during his tenure so far as head coach.
Belgium finished third in Russia 2018 but exited the World Cup from the group stage four years later in Qatar.
The Red Devils lost their most recent meeting with Egypt – a friendly in Kuwait back in 2022 – but boast a squad that combines youth with experience, under the guidance of coach Rudi Garcia.
The Egyptians are expected to adopt their organised defensive game plan that helped them reach the Afcon semi-finals in January, while relying on counter-attacks.
After Qatar scored their first point in World Cup history against Switzerland and Morocco held Brazil on an eventful Saturday, will the Pharaohs get on the board and enjoy a positive start in Seattle?
