Egypt made history by qualifying for the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after securing a 1-1 draw against Iran in their final Group G match in Seattle.
The result saw Egypt finish the group stage with five points after remaining unbeaten in three matches. Belgium topped the group on goal difference following an emphatic 5-1 victory over New Zealand in the other Group G fixture. Iran, who finished third, must now wait to see whether they qualify as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.
Egypt took the lead through Mahmoud Saber, who capitalized on a mistake by Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand to put the Pharaohs ahead. Iran equalized through Ramin Rezaeian after an attack that followed Egypt's goalkeeper saving a penalty taken by Mehdi Taremi.
The closing stages were dramatic as Iran thought they had scored a winning goal through Shoja Khalilzadeh. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for offside, leaving the match to end 1-1—a result that was enough to send Egypt into the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, Belgium underlined their quality with a dominant 5-1 win over New Zealand to secure top spot in Group G. Leandro Trossard scored twice, while Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Alexis Saelemaekers each added a goal. Elijah Just scored New Zealand's consolation goal in the second half.
Egypt began their group-stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Belgium before recording their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory by defeating New Zealand 3-1. Goals from Mostafa Zico, Mohamed Salah, and Mahmoud Trezeguet earned the historic win before the team concluded the group stage with a draw against Iran.
Having secured qualification, Egypt and Belgium now await their Round of 32 opponents. The Pharaohs will be hoping to continue their impressive run under captain Mohamed Salah, who has led the team into the knockout stage for the first time under the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup format.
