Group G opens at Lumen Field on Monday evening with a fixture that carries rather more weight than its billing as a round-one curtain-raiser might suggest. Belgium against Egypt, in Seattle, is the kind of game that sets the tone for an entire group campaign before a ball has been kicked elsewhere.
The group itself contains Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, and with none of the four sides having played yet, the table is perfectly flat. That makes this the definitive first mover's advantage: three points here would immediately put either side in pole position for qualification from a group that looks, on paper, genuinely open. A defeat on matchday one, by contrast, leaves precious little margin for error.
Belgium arrive with the familiar air of a side that has been promising to convert potential into silverware for most of the past decade. They remain one of the more technically complete squads in the tournament, and Group G represents a realistic path to the knockout rounds. Egypt, though, will not be coming to Seattle as passengers. The Pharaohs qualified with purpose and carry real ambition into this campaign, built around a squad that blends African football's physicality with genuine technical quality.
The head-to-head record between these two sides is, fittingly, perfectly balanced. They have met twice: Belgium won 3-0 in June 2018, but Egypt reversed that decisively in November 2022, winning 2-1. One win each, no draws. There is no psychological edge to be extracted from history, only a reminder that Egypt are perfectly capable of beating Belgium when the occasion demands it.
Both squads report no fresh absences ahead of kick-off, which at least spares both managers from making enforced decisions in a match where selection judgement will matter enormously.
The data leans heavily towards the two sides sharing the spoils or Belgium edging it: the models give Belgium 45 per cent, a draw 45 per cent, and Egypt only 10 per cent. That said, Egypt's 2022 result is a useful corrective to anyone tempted to treat this as a formality for the Red Devils. Expect Belgium to carry the greater threat, but do not expect Egypt to make it comfortable.
Kick-off at Lumen Field is Monday 15 June at 20:00 UK time.