Belgium narrowly avoided a humiliating start to their 2026 World Cup campaign when substitute Romelu Lukaku needed just 28 seconds to alter the course of a Group G opener that Egypt had controlled for long stretches. The Napoli striker, introduced in the 66th minute with his side trailing, charged onto a low cross from Thomas Meunier and applied such pressure that defender Mohamed Hany could only divert the ball into his own net. The 1-1 draw at Seattle’s Lumen Field, played before 66,775 spectators, spared the European side a defeat that had looked increasingly probable.

Egypt had taken a deserved lead midway through the first half through Emam Ashour, who collected a precise pass from Salah and unleashed a low 20-yard strike beyond Thibaut Courtois. It was the midfielder’s first international goal and only the second time the Pharaohs have led a World Cup match, following Salah’s opener against Saudi Arabia in 2018. Salah, deployed centrally by coach Hossam Hassan on his 34th birthday, drew an early yellow card from the Belgian defence and orchestrated Egypt’s most dangerous moments, reinforcing his talismanic status even as he enters the tournament without a club after leaving Liverpool.

Belgium, for all their possession and the pedigree of Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, failed to register a shot on target in the first half. De Bruyne struck the post with a free kick early in the second period, and Courtois was forced into several sharp interventions to keep the deficit at one goal. Viewed from Brussels, the performance revived uncomfortable memories of the team’s group-stage exit in Qatar four years ago. The introduction of Lukaku, returning from a hamstring injury, provided an immediate focal point, yet the equaliser owed as much to fortune as to design.

For Egypt, the result extended a historical anomaly: seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions, they have now played eight World Cup matches without a single victory. North American analysts noted that the Pharaohs’ disciplined shape and counter-attacking threat could trouble Iran and New Zealand in the remaining group fixtures. Belgian observers, meanwhile, acknowledged that the remnants of the so-called golden generation have little time left to better their third-place finish in 2018.

Both sides now turn to Sunday’s matches, with Belgium facing Iran and Egypt meeting New Zealand. The draw leaves Group G delicately poised, and while Belgium remain favourites on paper, the Seattle stalemate suggested that the path to the knockout stage will be far from straightforward for either side.