Preview, prediction, players to watch, fixtures and TV schedule

Group G Preview

Belgium’s Golden Generation is long gone but they still possess enough quality to justify their status as group favourites.

Iran are the second-highest ranked team and will be strong – on the assumption they can quieten the noise that will inevitably follow their every move in the United States.

Egypt star Mohamed Salah will see this as a chance to show the world he is still one of the game’s greats ahead of a summer move away from Liverpool. New Zealand will offer athleticism and organisation but will that be enough?

World Cup Group G fixtures and where to watch

Here, we take a look at the teams in detail.

Belgium: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction

Coach: Rudi Garcia
Qualification: UEFA Group J winner
Best World Cup: Third place (2018)

Belgium struggled at Qatar 2022, their Golden Generation creaking with old age and suffering a humbling group stage exit. Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Dries Mertens and former captain Eden Hazard were all a shadow of their former selves and have since retired. Then coach Roberto Martinez has also moved on and will be tasked with leading Portugal in North America.

In their place has emerged a new Belgium. A better side? Perhaps not, but certainly a more cohesive unit than the one that regularly sparkled but then crumbled when it really mattered.

Some of the old stagers remain and Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku will have one final crack at the World Cup. The Red Devils will have been delighted with the draw, although Garcia is too savvy to admit it.

“We have a huge amount of respect for the other three sides in our group,” he stressed in an interview with FIFA.com. “This is what the World Cup is all about. We know Egypt well; they’re one of the best teams in Africa. I know all about Mo Salah as I coached him at Roma. We’re also up against a team from Oceania and one from Asia. We’re obviously less familiar with them as we don’t see them play as often, but we’re looking forward to finding out what the Iranian and New Zealand teams are made of.

“Let’s start by respecting our group-stage opponents. Let’s beat them, finish top of the group, and then we’ll see how far we can go.”

Jeremy Doku, Leandro Trossard, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Diego Moreira represent the new generation and, if they click, will still provide a major threat to any side in the competition.

Belgium Star Player: Doku hopes to take club form on to world stage

De Bruyne, Trossard and, if fit, Lukaku could all claim to be Belgium’s most influential player but few players can provide the match-winning brilliance of Manchester City winger Doku.

After an unspectacular first half of the 2025/26 season, Doku burst into life over the closing weeks, spearheading City’s bid to overtake Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

He scored a brilliant brace to salvage a draw at Everton and also found the back of the net in wins over Chelsea and Brentford as well as grabbing a goal and an assist in the FA Cup semi-final triumph over Southampton.

City eventually finished second behind the Gunners but Doku’s record of five goals and five assists in 30 league games proved he has developed into one of the club’s most influential players.

Prediction: Belgium will win the group and could make latter stages

If Garcia can find the right blend then Belgium will be dangerous floaters. They have a nice blend of youth and experience although they may struggle defensively against the very best. That is the only negative and if they hit their stride they will take some stopping.

Egypt: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction

Coach: Hossam Hassan
Qualification: CAF Group A winner
Best World Cup: Group stage (1934, 1990, 2018)

The seven-time champions of Africa will arrive in North America with genuine aspirations of making it out of the group stage for the first time.

Hossam Hassan’s side showed their aptitude for tournament football with a run to the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and were also dominant in their qualifying campaign, winning eight and drawing two of their 10 games to book their place at the global showpiece.

The new, expanded format offers possibilities to the likes of Egypt and, bar Belgium, their group opponents will hold little fear. Egypt have never won a game at the finals but Hassan is confident that record will change.

“I see the ambition in the ​players. They want to achieve more than what Egypt did in past World Cups,” Hassan ​told CAF’s official website. “We need to perform better at the World Cup. This is my main goal.”

Egypt star player: Marmoush can profit from focus on Salah

The eyes of the world will be on Mohamed Salah, who has yet to announce his next move after leaving Liverpool. A switch to the Saudi Pro League remains the most likely outcome but a strong World Cup could see him offered a short-term deal by a European giant.

While all the focus is on Salah, it provides a chance for Omar Marmoush to shine. The Manchester City striker has not yet fired in the Premier League but the talent is undoubtedly there.

Three goals in 21 top-flight appearances in the recently completed season is a paltry return for a player of his talents but, if defences are preoccupied with Salah, expect Marmoush to take over as Egypt’s most dangerous offensive weapon.

Prediction: History beckons for Egypt

This Egypt side are good enough to claim a first win and advance to the knockout stage. There will be a club feel to the squad with the bulk of the players based in the domestic league, add in the star quality of Salah and Marmoush, and history beckons.

Iran: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction

Coach: Amir Ghalenoei
Qualification: AFC third-round qualifiers
Best World Cup: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)

It has not been an easy build-up to the World Cup for Iran and the controversy around their participation will not cease when they land on the far side of the Atlantic.

Having been heavily bombed by one of the co-hosts, it is an unusual situation the players find themselves in and, just last week, it was confirmed their training base has been moved to Mexico from the US.

There may still be issues when they travel north despite assurances there won’t be a problem with entry into the US for staff and players who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It is a distraction that is likely to provide one of the main off-field talking points for a team that qualified in impressive fashion and harbour genuine hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.

Their world ranking of 21 highlights their growing status on the global stage, although politics has denied coach Amir Ghalenoei the use of striker Sardar Azmoun, the third-highest goalscorer in the country’s history.

Azmoun’s omission comes amid reports of “disloyalty” to the Iranian government.

The 31-year-old, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates, is said to have angered the regime by posting a photo of himself with UAE ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Instagram in March.

Azmoun was left out of Iran’s preliminary squad for the tournament and, despite pleas from the country’s  vice president, Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, calling for his inclusion, he will not feature in North America.

Star Player: Taremi can count on European experience

In the absence of Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi will be expected to provide Iran’s attacking threat.

The 33-year-old is one of the few members of the squad to ply their trade outside Iran with Taremi now at Olympiacos after spells with Porto and Inter Milan.

A veteran of Iran’s World Cup campaigns in Russia and Qatar, Taremi’s physical presence should trouble opposing defences.

Prediction: Off-field distractions may hamper them but Iran have enough to qualify

A tough one to predict as so much rests on the squad being left alone to focus on footballing matters. If they are then Iran have the ability to advance.

The obvious fear is Donald Trump will use the team’s presence to score political points and the sideshow will distract Iran from their goal.

New Zealand: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction

Coach: Darren Bazeley
Qualification: Oceania winners
Best World Cup: Group stage (1982, 2010)

New Zealand return for a third appearance on the global stage and they will do well to match their achievements of 16 years ago when they returned home from South Africa undefeated after drawing all three group stage games, against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay. That wasn’t enough to see them qualify but it did grow their profile.

Coach Darren Bazeley has been in charge since 2023 having spent much of his coaching career working for New Zealand Soccer. He will be a familiar name to many English fans after a playing career spent with the likes of Watford, Wolves and Walsall.

The 53-year-old Northampton-born boss will have his work cut out to guide this All Whites side through an unbeaten campaign but knows if he does, it will likely result in a maiden place in the knockout stage.

Chris Wood is their only big-name player in a squad that also includes Tommy Smith, who suffered relegation from the National League with Braintree Town last season.

Star Player: Wood will score if he gets the service

Wood has shown over the duration of his long and illustrious career that he knows the route to goal.

A physical and clinical striker over many years with the likes of Leeds, Burnley, Newcastle and, now, Nottingham Forest, Wood will occupy any defence.

The obvious question is whether he’ll be given a steady supply line to score the goals.

Prediction: That first win proves elusive for New Zealand

It’s hard to predict any outcome other than a group stage exit for a team that simply don’t come up against this strength of opposition outside of major tournaments.

For the bulk of their players this is a huge step up in quality and they will most likely struggle.

Predicted World Cup 2026 Group G table