The Egypt national football team will face Belgium in the opening of their campaign in the seventh group of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in a match that brings together a large number of stars with influential personalities on the field. The Belgian team, led by Roberto Martinez, enters the tournament with great ambitions, after being accustomed to appearing as a strong competitor in major tournaments, and will hope to make up for their disappointing exit from the group stage in the 2022 World Cup. In contrast, the Egypt national football team seeks to build on its distinguished campaign in the African Nations Cup, after reaching the semi-finals earlier this year, during one of its rare participations in the World Cup. According to his usual standards, Mohamed Salah did not have an exceptional season during 2025-2026. The captain of the Egypt national football team suffered a decline in his level compared to the previous season, and long periods of the season saw tension in his relationship with Liverpool before agreeing to leave in March. But despite approaching his 34th year, Salah still represents a dangerous attacking weapon, and will try during the tournament to prove that his abilities are still capable of making a difference, and convincing those interested in signing him that his departure from Anfield does not mean the end of his influence at the highest levels. The journey of Matias Fernandez Pardo to the World Cup finals this summer has seen a significant transformation, after being away from competing for the leadership of the Belgian team's attack for a long time. The Lille striker, who has reintroduced himself in a remarkable way, thought about representing Spain, taking advantage of his dual nationality, due to the difficulty of securing a starting place in the presence of Romelu Lukaku and several other names in the Belgian team's front line. But Fernandez Pardo now seems to be a candidate to be one of the new faces in Belgium's attack, after contributing to 13 goals in 26 games with Lille last season. The Egypt national football team has qualified for the World Cup only four times in its history. Belgium 2-1 Egypt