Group G may well be featuring Belgium’s golden generation for the last time on the biggest stage. Rudi Garcia’s side still count Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku among their ranks, and they arrive as clear favourites. Egypt’s hopes rest almost entirely on the shoulders of Mohamed Salah, who faces Iran – making their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance – in what could be the defining clash for second place. New Zealand return to the tournament after a 16-year absence as the group’s clear underdogs.
Below are all the details regarding the matchups, squads, and updated projections from the betting markets.
🗓️ Matches, Dates, Times, and Stadiums
All match times have been adjusted to Montreal Time (EDT) for your convenience:
- June 15, 2026, 3:00 PM: Belgium vs. Egypt – Seattle (United States)
- June 15, 2026, 9:00 PM: Iran vs. New Zealand – Los Angeles (United States)
- June 21, 2026, 3:00 PM: Belgium vs. Iran – Los Angeles (United States)
- June 21, 2026, 9:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Egypt – Vancouver (Canada)
- June 25, 2026, 11:00 PM: Egypt vs. Iran – Seattle (United States)
- June 25, 2026, 11:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Belgium – Vancouver (Canada)
📋 Official Squad Rosters
As mentioned in our previous coverage, Egypt and Iran have not yet officially released their final squads. For Belgium and New Zealand, the selections are locked in.
🇧🇪 Belgium (26-Player Squad)
Rudi Garcia’s squad carries the weight of a generation making what is likely its final major tournament appearance. Thibaut Courtois returns to the national team alongside veterans Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in what could be a symbolic farewell for one of Belgium’s most talented groups of players.
- Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders.
- Defenders: Timothy Castagne, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Brandon Mechele, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate.
- Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel.
- Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard.
🇪🇬 Egypt (27-Player Preliminary Squad)
Hossam Hassan retains the familiar core built around Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. The notable omission is Mostafa Mohamed, who was left out of the preliminary list. How Salah arrives at the tournament in terms of form and fitness will largely dictate Egypt’s prospects of advancing.
- Goalkeepers: Mohamed Alaa, Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, El Mahdy Soliman.
- Defenders: Hossam Abdelmagid, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Tarek Alaa, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Rami Rabia.
- Midfielders: Emam Ashour, Marwan Attia, Nabil Emad, Hamdi Fathi, Haitham Hassan, Mohannad Lashin, Mahmoud Saber, Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet,” Mostafa Zico, Ahmed Sayed “Zizo.”
- Forwards: Aqtay Abdullah, Hamza Abdulkarim, Ibrahim Adel, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah.
🇮🇷 Iran (30-Player Preliminary Squad)
Amir Ghalenoei leads Iran into their fourth consecutive World Cup, though the squad suffers a significant blow with the absence of top scorer Sardar Azmoun, who was cut from the preliminary list. The full attacking burden now falls on Mehdi Taremi, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Saman Ghoddos tasked with providing the creativity around him.
- Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Mohammad Khalifeh, Payam Niazmand.
- Defenders: Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Omid Noorafkan, Ramin Rezaeian.
- Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi.
- Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Hadi Habibinejad, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Amirhossein Mahmoudi, Kasra Taheri, Mehdi Taremi.
🇳🇿 New Zealand (26-Player Squad)
Darren Bazeley oversees New Zealand’s return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence. The Oceania side are fully aware of their underdog status, but Chris Wood – a proven Premier League striker – is the kind of player capable of causing problems for any defence on a given day.
- Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud.
- Defenders: Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman.
- Midfielders: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Eli Just, Callum McCowatt, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Marko Stamenic, Sarpreet Singh, Ryan Thomas.
- Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Chris Wood.
💰 Team Odds & Predictions
Belgium lead the group’s projections with considerable comfort. The second qualifying spot sits between Egypt and Iran, with the markets giving Egypt a slight edge – though the gap is narrow enough to keep everything unresolved until the final matchday.
Stage & Title Projections
| Betting Market | Belgium | Egypt | Iran | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Win Group G | -278 | +450 | +600 | +2000 |
| To Qualify from Group | -1700 | +100 | +137 | +400 |
| To Reach Round of 16 | -125 | +225 | +400 | +600 |
| To Reach Quarter-Finals | +200 | +900 | +1000 | +2000 |
| To Reach Semi-Finals | +550 | +2800 | +3300 | +6600 |
| To Reach the Final | +1400 | +10000 | +12500 | +30000 |
| To Win the World Cup | +3300 | +30000 | +50000 | +150000 |
Match Results (Moneyline / 1X2)
- Belgium vs. Egypt: Belgium (-149) | Tie (+280) | Egypt (+400)
- Iran vs. New Zealand: Iran (-118) | Tie (+250) | New Zealand (+320)
- Belgium vs. Iran: Belgium (-238) | Tie (+333) | Iran (+550)
- New Zealand vs. Egypt: New Zealand (+400) | Tie (+250) | Egypt (-143)
- Egypt vs. Iran: Egypt (+145) | Tie (+185) | Iran (+220)
- New Zealand vs. Belgium: New Zealand (+800) | Tie (+475) | Belgium (-370)
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⭐ Individual Player Odds & Awards
Belgium dominate the award markets across every category, though Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush represent the most compelling non-Belgian value. Kevin De Bruyne stands out as the clear group favourite for Top Assist Provider.
Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot)
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): +3300
- Leandro Trossard (Belgium): +5000
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt): +5000
- Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium): +6600
- Jeremy Doku (Belgium): +6600
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium): +6600
- Omar Marmoush (Egypt): +10000
- Mehdi Taremi (Iran): +15000
Best Player (Golden Ball)
- Jeremy Doku (Belgium): +4000
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium): +6600
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt): +6600
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): +8000
- Leandro Trossard (Belgium): +10000
- Youri Tielemans (Belgium): +10000
- Omar Marmoush (Egypt): +15000
Top Assist Provider
- Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium): +2000
- Jeremy Doku (Belgium): +4000
⚠️ Important: Sardar Azmoun still appears in some sportsbooks’ assist markets at +50000, but the striker was cut from Iran’s squad and will not be at the tournament. Avoid this market entirely.
Other Notable Awards
- Thibaut Courtois is the group’s standout Golden Glove candidate at +2000, reinforcing his status as one of the tournament’s overall favourites for the award.
- Young Belgian defender Joaquin Seys is the group’s Best Young Player representative at +15000, a long-shot option for those looking for deep-value picks in that market.
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