Breaking down Group G for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including schedule, rosters, best bets and more!
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Political statements and sports aren’t often well-received in the United States of America, but they will be at the front of Group G, whether fans like it or not. In a group headlined with Belgium, it’s Iran that will get the most attention. Will their team be allowed to enter the USA for the World Cup 2026? With the US yet to issue visas for the team, less than a month away from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the result of this group could have lasting ramifications internationally.
With a group that also contains Egypt and New Zealand, it’s very possible for Iran to go on a Cinderella run and thrust itself even further into the international spotlight.
World Cup Groups Previews
FIFA World Cup Schedule For Group G
Monday, June 15th
3:00 EST- Belgium vs Egypt @ Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
6:00 EST- Iran vs New Zealand @ SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Sunday, June 21st
3:00 EST- Belgium vs Iran @ SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
9:00 EST- New Zealand vs Egypt @ BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Friday, June 26th
11:00 EST- Egypt vs Iran @ Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
11:00 EST- New Zealand vs Belgium @ BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
FIFA Rankings
FIFA World Rankings are from FIFA.com
| Team | Rank | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 9 | 1734.71 |
| Egypt | 29 | 1563.24 |
| Iran | 21 | 1615.30 |
| New Zealand | 85 | 1281.57 |
FIFA World Cup Rosters
Prediction
The golden generation may have passed Belgium by with a whimper, but they still have the two best midfielders in the group in Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans, along with in-form forward Jérémy Doku. Their backline isn’t bad either, and they don’t have many holes in their team. You could certainly argue they don’t have a ton of superstar-level talent, but that shouldn’t be much of an issue in Group G. Although Egypt and Iran are both teams that can cause damage if you don’t deal with them carefully, there isn’t much reason to pick against Belgium.
After Belgium, this group gets interesting. Egypt has one of the best forwards in the world in Mohamed Salah and has a decent frontline overall that is rounded out with Omar Marmoush and Trézéguet. Iran, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily have star-level players, but as a collective, plays extremely well. While Iran has never made it out of the group stage, that is thanks in large part to being grouped with in the “group of death” in 2022 with England, the USA and Wales, and also in 2018 with Spain, Portugal and Morocco. This is their easiest grouping in quite some time, and they’ve barely missed the knockout stages before as it is.
Egypt has a great attacking front, but that’s about it. In a battle between Iran and Egypt for second place, it’ll come down to who can either earn a draw with Belgium or who can defend the best when they play each other. In both instances, Iran is more likely to do either, so they should be able to finish second in the group. Egypt will finish third, just above a New Zealand team that, quite frankly, has a decent forward in Chris Wood and nothing else. It’ll be tight, but I think Egypt falls just short of qualifying as one of the better third-place teams as well.
World Cup Best Bets 2026
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Belgium/Iran to finish in top two: +150
Belgium/Iran to finish 1/2: +220
New Zealand to lose all group games: +225
Players to Watch
Belgium — Kevin De Bruyne (Midfielder), Youri Tielemans (Midfielder), Romelu Lukaku (Forward), Jérémy Doku (Forward)
Egypt — Trézéguet (Forward), Omar Marmoush (Forward), Mohamed Salah (Forward)
Iran — Ehsan Hajsafi (Defender)
New Zealand — Chris Wood (Forward)
