Belgium were heavy favorites, Egypt had other ideas. Emam Ashour put the Pharaohs ahead at Lumen Field and a Mohamed Hany own goal salvaged a 1-1 draw the market did not see coming.
Belgium 1, Egypt 1. The Red Devils were supposed to roll Egypt in the Group G opener in Seattle and instead they spent 90 minutes chasing the game. Ashour's low strike in the 19th minute beat Thibaut Courtois clean and put Egypt in front, and it took a 66th-minute Mohamed Hany own goal off a Thomas Meunier cross for Belgium to pull even. One point apiece, and Egypt's the side walking off feeling like they left something on the table.
Egypt
Belgium4-2-3-1
No credible XI reported yet
Starting 11s.
Kevin De Bruyne ran the second half — 7 shots, a free kick off the post in the 53rd, the works — but Egypt's back line and keeper Mohamed Shoubir made him work for every yard. Romelu Lukaku came off the bench and headed over from 8 yards in the 87th minute. Mohamed Salah, subbed off in the 75th on his 34th birthday, was a nuisance all afternoon. Egypt put up 14 shots and finished the better team on xG-adjusted feel even if Belgium edged the box score.
Show fees
FT
Spread
Advance
Total
Belgium(0-1-0)
1
-1.5
+167
-190
o2.5
+102
Egypt(0-1-0)
1
+1.5
-163
+669
u2.5
-102
In-Game
Whale Buys
Advance includes extra time & pens; spread + total settle on 90 minutes.
The market never saw it coming. Polymarket had Belgium at 65.5% to win outright before kickoff and Egypt parked deep in longshot territory — a draw was the second-most likely outcome on the board, but barely. Belgium being held to a single goal — and that one off an Egyptian boot — is the kind of result that sportsbooks and prediction markets quietly mark down as a miss. Egypt didn't just survive the favorite; they outplayed them in stretches.
Group G is still Belgium's to lose on paper — live group-winner odds have them around 66% — but the cushion is thinner than the pre-tournament read suggested. Egypt jumped to roughly 22% to win the group and a 31% shot at the Round of 16, which is real money for a side most pundits had third in the group. Belgium's path to the knockout round dipped to 59% on the live boards. One point is one point; the group just got interesting.
Next up: Belgium face Iran in Inglewood on June 21, with the pressure firmly on Domenico Tedesco's side to put a result on the board before the closer against New Zealand. Egypt take New Zealand in Vancouver the same day, and a win there would put the Pharaohs in firm control of their own knockout fate heading into the Iran finale. Both teams left Seattle with a point. Only one of them looks like they got what they wanted.
United States4-1
Senegal3-2
New Zealand5-1
Iran0-0
Egypt1-1
Argentina2-3
Australia1-1