Belgium were once the team that promised everything and delivered nothing. The golden generation is mostly gone, and with them, the weight of expectation. What remains is a side without that pressure, but also without the same quality. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the last survivors of the old guard, arrive in North America in less than ideal shape. Lukaku especially has had a horrid time with injuries, playing only 64 minutes for Napoli this season. Egypt’s talisman Mohamed Salah also had a tough season—his worst for Liverpool. But he remains vital for the national team. Meanwhile, both Iran and New Zealand are depending on experienced strikers to carry them through.
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Belgium: Jeremy Doku
While De Bruyne and Lukaku are short of sharpness, Doku, 24, is coming off the back of a season in which he played 47 times for Manchester City, scoring eight times and assisting 14. Under Pep Guardiola, the winger developed from a pace merchant into a more complete attacker. His crossing has improved, his movement has become more refined and he has started scoring goals in important moments. He is the one player in this Belgium team that the opposition will need to plan their defence around. Belgium open against Egypt in Seattle on June 15.
Egypt: Mohamed Salah
Salah turns 34 on the day of that opening clash. Egypt have never won a game at a World Cup. Salah has spent his career rearranging records; the one notable absence is a magical moment on the game’s biggest stage. He scored nine of Egypt’s 20 qualifying goals, including twice in the match that confirmed their place. Egypt are pragmatic rather than expansive and that is both their strength and their limitation. When teams double up on Salah, the midfield must find answers it has not always been able to provide. The captain will be ably supported by Omar Marmoush in attack, but the forward has had an underwhelming and interrupted season at City.
Iran: Mehdi Taremi
The forward spent four seasons at Porto and one at Inter Milan and brings invaluable elite-level experience. The 33-year-old has 60 goals in 105 games for the national team and has had a good season for Olympiacos with 16 goals and six assists in 39 games. His game is built on movement, specifically, well-timed runs in behind that put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Once he gets a clear chance, Taremi is usually reliable. He is also extremely hardworking and can be effective in disrupting the rhythm of opponents. Moreover, though all strikers are supposed to act as the first line of defence when their team loses the ball in enemy territory, Taremi has a defensive intelligence about him that makes him more effective in this aspect than many more talented strikers. Iran open against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
New Zealand: Chris Wood
The Kiwis are back at the World Cup for only the third time. In their first attempt in 1982, they lost all three group games. But, the 2010 side went home unbeaten after three draws. This squad is deemed better and there seems to be optimism at home about making it to the knockout stages. But, for the lowest ranked team at this edition of the World Cup, any such chance will depend entirely on its version of Cristiano Ronaldo—Chris Wood, who has 45 goals in 89 games for the national team. The 34-year-old has spent nine consecutive seasons in the Premier League and was in the golden boot race in 2024-25, but had an injury-disrupted season this time. However, at his best, Wood's physicality can trouble any defence in the world.
