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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The Netherlands' goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen concedes Japan's second goal, scored by midfielder Daichi Kamada, during their Group F match at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, which ended in a two-all draw. AFP -
The ball hits the crossbar during the Group E match between Ivory Coast against Ecuador, in Philadelphia. The West African team won 1-0. EPA -
Curacao fans during their team's 1-7 defeat to Germany in Houston, Texas. AFP -
Connor Metcalfe (No 8) celebrates after scoring for Australia in the second half during their Group D match against Turkey, in Vancouver. The Socceroos won 2-0. EPA -
At the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Qatar's goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada fouls Switzerland's Remo Freuler to give away a penalty. Reuters -
Qatar's Boualem Khoukhi puts the ball past Switzerland's Gregor Kobel for their first World Cup goal. Reuters -
Qatar fans cheer in the stands during the Fifa World Cup 2026 Group B match between Qatar and Switzerland in San Francisco, AFP -
Morocco's Ismael Saibari, centre, scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group C match with Brazil at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. AFP -
Morocco's Ismael Saibari celebrates scoring their first goal. Reuters -
Brazil's Vinicius Jr equalises against Morocco. Reuters -
John McGinn of Scotland scores his team's first goal past Johny Placide of Haiti. The win was Scotland's first World Cup victory in 36 years. AFP -
Folarin Balogun of the US scores their third goal against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, California. Reuters -
South Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu scores their second goal against Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium. Reuters -
Mexico's Raul Jimenez scores their second goal against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Reuters
"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?
