Article by Oana Duşmănescu – Published on Thursday, 04 June 2026, 09:37 / Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2026 09:37
Gazeta Sporturilor presents the teams qualified for the 2026 World Championship, which will take place between June 11 and July 19 in 16 cities in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
In the lines below, you can read the details of Group G, in which the national teams of Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand have been assigned after the draw.
Group G schedule
June 15 » Belgium – Egypt (Seattle)
June 15 » Iran – New Zealand (Inglewood)
June 21 » Belgium – Iran (Inglewood)
June 21 » New Zealand – Egypt (Seattle)
June 26 » Egypt – Iran (Seattle)
June 26 » New Zealand – Belgium (Vancouver)
Belgium – the undisputed favorite of the group
The Belgian footballers coached by Rudi Garcia qualified from pole position in the preliminary group J with 18 points, ahead of Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein, following the following results:
North Macedonia – Belgium 1-1 (0-1)
Belgium – Wales 4-3 (3-1)
Liechtenstein – Belgium 0-6 (0-1)
Belgium – Kazakhstan 6-0 (2-0)
Belgium – North Macedonia 0-0
Wales – Belgium 2-4 (1-2)
Kazakhstan – Belgium 1-1 (1-0)
Belgium – Liechtenstein 7-0 (3-0).
Possible first 11 at the World Cup:
(4-2-3-1) Courtois; Castagne, Debast, Theate, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Onana; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; By Ketelaere
Selector: Rudi Garcia
Belgium is a constant presence at the World Cup, the best results being two appearances in the semi-finals, obtaining the bronze medal at the Russian World Cup in 2018 and a 4th place in Mexico '86.
15 attendanceshas Belgium in total at the World Cup
History justifies us to say that Belgium is the big favorite of group G, although the team is in reconstruction, and De Bruyne's participation in this edition of the World Cup, at the beginning under the question mark, is now a certainty.
Unlike the last final tournaments, both European and world, Belgium no longer has the status of favorite on the podium, but remains a strong team. If he reaches his potential, the Belgians can cause serious problems for any favorite on the route.
The star of the team: Kevin de Bruyne
De Bruyne is one of the greatest European footballers in history, even more so in Belgian history. Now in Napoli, at the age of 34, he won the title of legend of Manchester City, with which he won absolutely everything that could be won – titles in the Premier League and in the UEFA Champions League.
In 285 appearances on the field for the “citizens”, the Belgian scored 72 goals. De Bruyne is the undisputed leader of the Belgian “national team” for which he has made 115 appearances on the field, scoring 36 goals.
He was the man-orchestra of his country's “national team” at the 2018 World Cup, one of the best footballers of the tournament. It remains to be seen how well he will be recovered for the final North American tournament in 2026 after a torn right thigh muscle that has sidelined him since October 2025.
Egypt – a big star, Mohamed Salah, and the rest destiny
Qualified for the World Cup from first place in group A of the African preliminaries, which also included Burkina-Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia and Djibouti. He obtained the following results:
Egypt – Djibouti 6-0 (2-0)
Sierra Leone – Egypt 0-2 (0-1)
Egypt – Burkina Faso 2-1 (2-0)
Guinea-Bissau – Egypt 1-1 (1-0)
Ethiopia – Egypt 0-2 (0-2)
Egypt – Sierra Leone 1-0 (1-0)
Egypt – Ethiopia 2-0 (2-0)
Burkina Faso – Egypt 0-0
Djibouti – Egypt 0-3 (0-2)
Egypt – Guinea-Bissau 1-0 (1-0)
Possible first 11 at the World Cup
(3-4-1-2) He Shenawy; Ibrahim, Abdelmaguif, Rabia; Hany, Ateya, Lasheen, Fatouh; Ashur; Salah, Marmoush
Selector: Hossam Hassan
Until now, from the three appearances at the World Championship, Egypt has never managed to go beyond the group stage or the first match (1934), the most appreciated evolution being at the Coppa del Mondo Italia '90, then achieving two equal results with Ireland and the Netherlands and a narrow 0-1 defeat with England.
However, the Egyptians have the second chance of Group G, after Belgium, with two world-class aces up their sleeve, Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Marmoush (Manchester City), who can always make the difference with Premier League experience. Through these two players, the Africans have the strength to reach the knockout stages and can even become one of the surprises of the World Championship in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The star of the team: Mohamed Salah
Regarding Salah (33 years old), there are no controversies: the Egyptian striker is the most valuable footballer in the history of his country, and even has his place secured in the gallery of the best footballers of the African continent and even of the planet.
The forward with the aura of legend of Liverpool was a determining factor during the Klopp era and in the first season of Arne Slot in winning all the trophies obtained by the “cormorants” in the glory period 2018-2025.
Mohamed Salah is part of Egypt's squad for the 2026 World Cup / photo: Imago Images
The Egyptian's numbers at Liverpool are colossal, 188 goals in 302 games to date. He was top scorer of the Premier League in the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2021-2022 and 2024-2025 seasons, being also named the footballer of the season in 2017-2018 and 2024-2025.
Salah is the undisputed leader of his “national team”, the symbol of Egyptian football and the idol of the entire Islamic microbist world, gathering 115 appearances for his country's team and scoring 67 times for it.
Egypt expects a lot from its leader, the goal being qualification from the group. The pressure on Salah's shoulders may be heightened by Liverpool's relatively poor form this season.
Iran – the strength of the group, not of individuals
Iran qualified for the 7th FIFA World Cup in its history after winning preliminary group E and group A of the third round of Asian qualifiers with the following results:
Iran – Hong Kong 4-0 (2-0)
Uzbekistan – Iran 2-2 (0-2)
Iran – Turkmenistan 5-0 (2-0)
Turkmenistan – Iran 0-1 (0-1)
Hong Kong – Iran 2-4 (1-2)
Iran – Uzbekistan 0-0
Iran – Kyrgyzstan 1-0 (1-0)
United Arab Emirates – Iran 0-1 (0-1)
Uzbekistan – Iran 0-0
Iran – Qatar 4-1 (1-1)
North Korea – Iran 2-3 (0-3)
Kyrgyzstan – Iran 2-3 (0-2)
Iran – United Arab Emirates 2-0 (1-0)
Iran – Uzbekistan 2-2 (0-1)
Qatar – Iran 1-0 (1-0)
Iran – North Korea 3-0 (0-0).
Possible first 11 at the World Cup
(4-2-3-1) Beyranvand; Yousefi, Kanaani, Khalilzadeh, Mohammadi; Ezatolahi, Ghoddos; Jahanbakhsh, Ghayedi, Mohebi; Taremi
Selector: Amir Ghalenoei
The Asians, who were at one point uncertain of participation, due to the war with the USA and Israel, represent one of the outsiders of the group, but who can cause problems for Egypt in the race for the 2nd place. However, they are a constant force in Asian football, with multiple presences in the final tournaments, with a tough, aggressive, organized game, in which the emphasis falls less on the individual qualities of the players and more on the strength and unity of the group.
Team star: Mehdi Taremi
An exceptional striker, by far the best Iranian footballer of the moment, Taremi currently plays for the Greek team Olympiacos, after an excellent four-season spell at Porto and a decent competitive year at Internazionale Milano.
Taremi (33 years old) is the leader of the national team of Iran, for which he played in 101 games, scoring 56 goals. All Iran's hopes of going further in the tournament revolve around him, an essential cog in the cogs created by Amir Ghalenoei, a united group in which Taremi shines.
New Zealand – the likely 'trippers' in Group G
New Zealand qualified for a World Cup final for the third time, after appearances in 1982 and 2010. The representatives of the nation better known for rugby than football qualified directly for the Oceania zone, winning without emotion all the games played, as follows:
Group B
New Zealand – Tahiti 3-0 (1-0)
New Zealand – Vanuatu 8-1 (5-1)
Samoa – New Zealand 0-8 (0-3)
Semifinals
New Zealand – Fiji 7-0 (4-0)
The final
New Caledonia – New Zealand 0-3 (0-0).
Possible first 11 at the World Cup
(4-2-3-1) Crocombe; Payne, Bindon, Boxall, Cacace; Samenic, Bell; McCowatt, Singh, Garbett; Wood
Selector: Darren Bazeley
The players from the antipodes can be considered the absolute outsiders of the group, which means that they have nothing to lose and any positive result will be the equivalent of a big surprise.
Star of the team: Chris Wood
A worthy successor to Wynton Rufer who was tearing down the Bundesliga nets for Werder Bremen in the 90s, with a long career in the world's most powerful championship, the Premier League, Chris Wood has now reached the age of 34 and represents New Zealand's hopes of achieving positive results and leaving a good image at the 2026 World Cup.
Wood has evolved over time at West Bromwich, Leicester, Leeds, Burnley, Newcastle, and is currently still an important player for Nottingham Forest, a team for which he has so far scored 36 goals in 75 appearances.
For the New Zealand national team, he scored 45 times in 88 appearances, being a very effective striker in the box, with a sense of goal and a lethal finish.
The composition of the groups of the World Championship 2026
