- 2026 World Cup: Belgium Top Group G As Egypt Advance, Iran Face Anxious Wait
- Egypt qualified after holding Iran to a 1-1 draw.
- Iran’s late winner was ruled out by VAR, leaving qualification uncertain.
Belgium completed a remarkable turnaround to finish top of Group G at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after thrashing New Zealand 5-1 in their final group match on Friday.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Red Devils entered the decisive round facing possible elimination after drawing their opening two matches against Egypt and Iran. However, the emphatic victory, coupled with Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Iran, saw Belgium leap to the top of the group with five points.
Leandro Trossard put Belgium ahead before adding his second of the match, while Kevin De Bruyne produced a stunning goal to strengthen his side’s grip on the contest. Romelu Lukaku, Belgium’s all time leading scorer, also found the net before Alexis Saelemaekers wrapped up the victory in stoppage time.
In the other Group G fixture, Egypt and Iran shared the points in a fiercely contested encounter.
Mahmoud Saber handed Egypt an early lead in the fifth minute, but Iran responded through Ramin Rezaeian after Mostafa Shobeir had saved Mehdi Taremi’s penalty.
Iran thought they had secured a dramatic stoppage time winner that would have guaranteed qualification to the Round of 32. However, the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review, leaving the match level and denying Iran automatic progression.
The result means Belgium advance as Group G winners and will face one of the tournament’s best third placed teams in the Round of 32.
Egypt also qualified for the knockout stage after finishing second in the group and will take on Australia in the next round.
Iran, meanwhile, finished third with three points and must now wait for the outcome of other groups to determine whether they qualify as one of the tournament’s best third placed teams or suffer elimination.
