The 2026 World Cup final draw, held on December 5, 2025, placed Belgium (Pot 1), Egypt (Pot 2), Iran (Pot 3), and New Zealand (Pot 4) into Group G. A European contender in transition, a North African side carried by a global icon, a compact Asian qualifier on a historic mission, and Oceania’s returning travellers — this article walks through the four teams’ qualification routes, World Cup pedigree, and the shape of the matchups based on pre-tournament information only.
Final 26-man squads are announced about two weeks before kickoff. This article is based on draw results, qualification context, and confirmed squads only. A detailed player-by-player breakdown is available on each team’s squad page.
Group G at a Glance
| Country | Confederation | Pot | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | UEFA | 1 | 14th |
| Egypt | CAF | 2 | 4th |
| Iran | AFC | 3 | 7th (4 in a row) |
| New Zealand | OFC | 4 | 3rd (first since 2010) |
Belgium enter as the Pot 1 seeded side and the group favourites. Egypt bring the world’s most-watched individual narrative in Mohamed Salah (Liverpool). Iran topped their AFC qualifying group and arrive with a historic target. New Zealand dominated OFC qualifying for their first World Cup in 16 years.
Match Schedule
| Date (UTC) | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, June 15 — 19:00 | Belgium vs Egypt | Vancouver Stadium (Vancouver) |
| Tue, June 16 — 01:00 | Iran vs New Zealand | Los Angeles Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Sun, June 21 — 19:00 | Belgium vs Iran | Los Angeles Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Mon, June 22 — 01:00 | New Zealand vs Egypt | Vancouver Stadium (Vancouver) |
| Sat, June 27 — 03:00 | Egypt vs Iran | Seattle Stadium (Seattle, WA) — simultaneous |
| Sat, June 27 — 03:00 | New Zealand vs Belgium | Vancouver Stadium (Vancouver) — simultaneous |
Vancouver’s Vancouver Stadium hosts Belgium and New Zealand for two matches each. The Pacific coast cluster means manageable travel between venues. Final matchday fixtures kick off simultaneously, as per the group-stage rules.
Team-by-Team
Belgium — Post-Golden-Generation European Contenders
Belgium are transitioning beyond Roberto Martinez’s celebrated ‘golden generation’. New head coach Rudi Garcia (appointed 2025) announced a 26-man squad on May 15, blending legends Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli, 117 caps/36 goals), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli, 124 caps/89 goals) and Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) with the next wave — Jérémy Doku (Manchester City), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP) and Amadou Onana (Aston Villa).
Garcia’s preferred 4-2-3-1 relies on the Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa, captain) / Onana double pivot, with De Bruyne free as a No.10. Seven Premier League players and four from Serie A bring deep international experience. This is De Bruyne’s third World Cup; for Lukaku, at 32, it could be a final curtain.
Belgium’s best World Cup finish is third place (Russia 2018). After a group-stage exit at Qatar 2022, a return to the latter rounds is the stated ambition.
World Cup highlights:
- 2018 (Russia): Third place
- 2022 (Qatar): Group stage exit
Egypt — Salah’s Second and Likely Final World Cup
Head coach Hossam Hassan — himself a legendary former Egyptian striker with 169 caps and 68 goals — announced the final 26 on May 29. This is Egypt’s first World Cup since Russia 2018, their fourth overall. Captain Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 116 caps/67 goals) is the undisputed centrepiece; at 33, this is almost certainly his second and final World Cup.
Omar Marmoush (Manchester City, 48 caps/11 goals) has emerged as Egypt’s second striker option, arriving at City in January 2025 off the back of an explosive Eintracht Frankfurt stint. The midfield backbone is Al Ahly-based, with Marwan Attia (CDM, 33 caps) and Emam Ashour (CM, 28 caps) forming the engine room. Nine of the squad play for Al Ahly, bringing multiple CAF Champions League title-winning experience.
Egypt have never advanced past the group stage in their modern World Cup history (1990 and 2018 both ended there). Reaching the Round of 16 in 2026 would be a landmark.
Iran — AFC Table-Toppers Hunting a Historic R16
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei announced the final 26 on June 1 (trimmed from an initial list of 30+). This is Iran’s fourth consecutive World Cup (seventh overall) — they topped their AFC qualifying group. The sobering context: Iran have never escaped the group stage in six prior appearances. The Round of 16 would be unprecedented.
Ace Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos, 104 caps/60 goals) is one of international football’s most efficient strikers — a physically imposing, two-footed No.9 who went from Porto to Inter Milan before joining Olympiacos in summer 2025. Captain Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan, 145 caps) is one of Asia’s all-time appearance leaders, appearing at four consecutive World Cups. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor, 85 caps) became a global name for saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty at Russia 2018.
Veterans Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender, 98 caps/17 goals — Brighton/Feyenoord experience) and Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli, 82 caps) add experience. Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored the winning goal against Wales at Qatar 2022. Iran are well-organised and experienced despite limited resources beyond the top clubs.
New Zealand — The All Whites Return After 16 Years
Head coach Darren Bazeley (English, appointed 2023) announced the final 26 on May 14 — the second-earliest squad announcement among Pot 4 teams. This is the All Whites’ first World Cup since South Africa 2010, and only their third ever. They dominated OFC qualifying to earn the spot.
Captain Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest, 88 caps/45 goals) is the only world-class striker in the squad — a long-serving Premier League forward (Burnley, Newcastle, Forest) and New Zealand’s all-time top scorer. At 34, he is still productive and this is his second World Cup after 2010.
The defensive core is anchored by 21-year-old Tyler Bindon (Sheffield United, 23 caps/3 goals), one of the youngest starters in the squad. Left-back Liberato Cacace (Wrexham, 35 caps) brings Serie A experience from his Empoli days. The midfield features European-developed players: Marko Stamenić (Swansea City, 37 caps) and Matthew Garbett (Peterborough United, 35 caps/5 goals), with Elijah Just (Motherwell, 42 caps/9 goals) a threat from the wings.
New Zealand’s previous two World Cups (1982, 2010) both ended at the group stage — but the 2010 edition stands out: three draws, zero defeats, a resolute defensive record. The 2026 target is to go one further: the knockouts for the first time.
Head-to-Head History
| Matchup | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Belgium vs Egypt | Five prior meetings. Most recent: 2002 friendly, Belgium 2-0 |
| Belgium vs Iran | Met at France 1998 group stage — 2-2 draw |
| Belgium vs New Zealand | Limited history; occasional friendlies |
| Egypt vs Iran | Rarely face off across confederation lines — very few modern meetings |
| Egypt vs New Zealand | No meaningful prior history — effectively a first meeting |
| Iran vs New Zealand | No meaningful prior history — effectively a first meeting |
Group G is among the least data-rich matchup sets in the draw. Egypt vs New Zealand and Iran vs New Zealand are essentially first competitive encounters, making form prediction especially difficult.
Path to the Knockouts
Pot seedings point to Belgium (Pot 1) and Egypt (Pot 2) as the most likely top-two finishers. However:
- Egypt have Salah — who can individually change a match against any opponent at any level
- Iran are AFC group-stage winners, disciplined and organised, and have never been beaten as convincingly as their record suggests
- New Zealand have Chris Wood — a proven Premier League striker who can punish a lapse on any given day; plus a young, athletic squad capable of defending deep
The 48-team format allows eight of the twelve third-placed teams to advance, meaning realistic knockout paths exist for all four sides. The simultaneous final-matchday kick-offs add a strategic dimension to the group’s conclusion.
Summary
- Belgium are the clear Pot 1 favourites, but their post-golden-generation transition introduces genuine uncertainty
- Egypt carry the tournament’s most compelling individual story in Salah’s likely farewell
- Iran have never escaped the group stage — can they finally break the curse with a first-choice squad and AFC confidence?
- New Zealand return after 16 years with Chris Wood and a young core capable of genuine upsets
- Across the four teams, head-to-head modern data is scarce, making Group G one of the harder groups to call
A follow-up article with player spotlights and tactical analysis will be published once all final squads are confirmed (approximately two weeks before kickoff).