Egypt Held to 1-1 Draw by Belgium in Seattle World Cup Opener

Seattle, MINA – It wasn’t Egypt that held European side Belgium to a draw, but the Red Devils who held the Pharaohs in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

According to FIFA, Emam Ashour’s first international goal led Egypt to its first FIFA World Cup victory, but Romelu Lukaku’s introduction helped Belgium force a 1-1 draw.

Seattle Stadium opened the gates to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time, and in this match in the Pacific Northwest region, Egypt was on the verge of making history.

Before this Group G opener, the Pharaohs had only led a World Cup match for 29 minutes, had never tasted victory, and had kept only one clean sheet. They had failed to break into second or third place, but took the lead in first place after Emam Ashour’s brilliant opening goal.

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On his 34th birthday, the goal was set up by Mohamed Salah and executed perfectly by Ashour.

It was the 28-year-old’s first international goal, so Belgium needed a player who is Europe’s second-highest international goalscorer of all time to salvage a point.

Just twenty seconds after coming on in the second half, Romelu Lukaku stepped into the penalty box to meet Meunier’s cross. His presence allowed Mohamed Hany to head the ball past his own goalkeeper, Mostafa Shoubir.

“The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always difficult, especially against one of Africa’s top teams like Egypt. The important thing was that we stayed in the game. We managed to equalize thanks to players who came off the bench, which shows how important the entire squad is. It was a great match between two very good teams,” said Belgium coach Rudi Garcia.

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“We got a point at the end, but we gave our all. We know Belgium is a good team with quality players and the atmosphere was great, so we have to thank the fans,” said Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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