09/06/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | JUNE 9, 2026 28 Group G Belgium, Egypt,

2026 WORLD CUP

New Zealand, Iran

I F you like your football with a dash of unavoidable geopolitics, Group G is for you thanks to the inclusion of Iran, who as you might have heard are embroiled in a war with the United States and Israel. Unless there’s currently a ceasefire that may or may not be a ceasefire while they try to negotiate a deal that may or may not be on the table. There’s a lot to unpack, but it seems fairly certain at this point that Iran will at least be at the World Cup, which did seem in real doubt for a minute there. As for the football, on paper Iran had been looking solid this cycle. While not amongst the top favourites, a year ago they were widely seen as being on the level of AFC mainstays Japan, Korea, and Australia. The goal for that Iran side would have been to try to beat Egypt to second in this group. Now, it’s a lot harder to know what we might actually get. That’s likely to the benefit of Egypt, who with a pair of star forwards in Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush will look to set themselves apart as the likeliest challenger to group favourites Belgium. Certainly that will be what The Pharaohs are now targeting. Regardless who’s doing the challenging, though, Belgium are favourites for good reason. While that nation’s golden generation have begun to age out without having achieved the success many expected, they’ve got a few promising youngsters working their way into the mix and there are still a lot of familiar names and plenty of star power in the squad. This is the proverbial last dance for Belgian legends like goalkeeper Thibaut Courois, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and striker Romelu Lukaku – and they will be desperate to achieve something special before riding off into the sunset. Also there’s New Zealand in the group, who will mostly just be happy to be there. Their football team doesn’t do a pre match haka. Sorry. MOHAMED SALAH has unfinished business in what could be his final World Cup as Egypt’s superstar seeks to deliver a first win at the tournament for the Pharaohs. Powerhouses of African football with a record seven continental titles, Egypt have struggled to make a dent on the global stage in three previous attempts. Salah should have arrived at the 2018 World Cup in the form of his life. Fresh from scoring 44 goals in his debut season at Liverpool – which propelled him from promis ing talent into a worldwide phe nomenon – Salah suffered a serious shoulder injury in the Champions League final after an infamous challenge by Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. A patched-up Salah did make it to Russia and scored twice in his two appearances, but failed to pre vent a group stage exit after defeats to the hosts, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Now the 33-year-old comes into a World Cup at the other end of his Liverpool career. Salah broke down in tears sev eral times as his nine-year spell

Lukaku indispensable to Belgium’s cause THE question hanging over Belgium for the last decade of when will the Golden Generation finally deliver is now essentially closed. That generation did not win the trophy. What Belgium bring to 2026 instead is something genuinely interesting: a months. But Garcia insisted Lukaku was invalu able. “He is our top scorer but also an important leader. We cannot do without him. I cannot say what role he will play. But he is already training to recover as well as possible,” the coach

physiotherapist. Belgium are seeking to temper any expecta tions after an impressive away victory in Croatia last Tuesday, where a goal from Lukaku came as a major boost to Garcia. Belgium’s top scorer netted his 90th international goal in the 2-0 win. “For him, it’s huge. He lives for goals. So the fact that he scored is something we’re really happy about,” said Garcia. “You also saw the reaction of his teammates. They all went over to celebrate with him, and he deserves it. “Our top scorer, our super top scorer, has scored again, and that’s fantastic. “That goal is good for his confidence. Still, we have to remain cautious. It can be danger ous to rush things. We need to bring him along step by step,” the coach told reporters. “However, he showed once again that he’s further along than we thought. With long injury absences, it often works like this: you can be very good at the beginning and then suffer a setback afterwards,” Garcia warned. Belgium captain Youri Tielemans latched onto a defensive slip to give Belgium the lead against the run of play, but the visitors proved much stronger in the second half with Lukaku’s stoppage-time goal adding lustre to the win. “We tested a few things, perhaps not neces sarily with the aim of fully implementing every thing for the World Cup. As a team, we were quite compact and didn’t give away much. Here and there, we’re still searching for a few things, and there are aspects where we can play better,” said veteran midfielder De Bruyne about the match against Croatia. “This is a good start, but we need to stay calm. So much can still change. There will also be moments during the World Cup when things become more difficult. This team wants to approach it in a positive way,” De Bruyne said. Belgium will play Egypt in their opening Group G match in Seattle on June 16 (3am Malaysian time).

squad in the middle of a handover, with Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku still present in their final acts and a wave of young attackers in Jeremy Doku, Lois Openda and Charles De Ketelaere who are among the most exciting players in European football right now. Coach Rudi Garcia, appointed

told a press confer ence after naming his squad. The 33-year-old Lukaku has had an injury-plagued sea son and been fined by Napoli after stay ing in Belgium to work with his preferred

in January 2025, has built on that transition with energy and prag matism. He’s switched comforta bly between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3 1 depending on the opponent, but the identity stays consis tent: wide pace, De Bruyne controlling the tempo from a slightly advanced mid field position, and a pressing structure that tries to win the ball high and convert quickly. Their March 2026 friendly against the United

Romelu

Lukaku

States, a 5-2 win without Thibaut

Courtois or Lukaku, showed just how much firepower they carry even without their biggest names available. But Belgium can ill afford to do with out Lukaku at the World Cup, Garcia said as he explained the inclusion of their all-time top scorer in a 26-man squad on May 29. The 33-year-old striker has played barely an hour this season, failing to start a game for Napoli, and has been battling a hamstring injury over the last

Egypt eye breakthrough in Salah’s likely last hurrah

Tensions between Liverpool’s “Egyptian King” and manager Arne Slot simmered for months after Salah was dropped for three con secutive matches in December. Injuries to others meant he regained his place after returning from Afcon, but Salah’s return of 12 goals in 41 appearances was by a distance the lowest of his Liverpool career. However, his and Egypt’s form at international level is a cause for optimism heading into a manage able draw against Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran in Group G. Salah scored in his first four appearances at Afcon before more heartbreak against his former club teammate Sadio Mane’s Senegal, this time in the semifinals. He then missed the March inter national window where Hossam Hassan’s side thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 and held Spain to a 0-0 draw. “I believe he will achieve some thing with the Pharaohs at the 2026 World Cup,” former Egypt captain Ahmed Fathi told AFP . “I played with him since the early days of his international career – we were together at the London 2012 Olympics and the 2018 World Cup. He always made the difference, and I hope he will do it again in the United States.”

national stage which is lacking from his glittering career. Twice he has been on the losing side in Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals, in 2017 and 2021. “For me, Salah is the best player in the world,” Egypt forward Mahmoud Hassan, better known as Trezeguet, told AFP . “His presence is extremely important for us. Not only as a star, but also as a leader who gives us confidence and strength.” Together, Salah and former Aston Villa forward Trezeguet scored 14 of Egypt’s 20 goals in qualifying.

back where it belongs,” he said in his parting message on Merseyside. His Premier League exploits meant that his influence stretched far beyond the field of play. Salah was named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2019, described as an “iconic figure for Egyptians, Scousers and Muslims the world over”. He has used that profile to call for greater gender equality in the Arab world and to appeal for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza following Israeli air strikes in October 2023. Now, his home nation expects Salah to

Yet, Salah was a diminished force in the Premier League this season, which accelerated his exit from Liverpool. A year ago, he was handed a new two year contract on the back of one of the great all time indi vidual sea sons to deliver the Premier League title.

deliver a moment on the inter

at Anfield ended after amass ing 257 goals, two Premier League titles and Champions League glory. “We put this club

Mohamed Salah