FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group G | Monday, 15 June 2026 Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington | Attendance: 66,775
Romelu Lukaku had been on the pitch for 22 seconds when Belgium scored. He did not even touch the ball.
He ran down the middle, lurched toward a cross coming in from the right, and Mohamed Hany — trying to deal with the danger of Lukaku’s run more than anything else — turned it into his own net. Equaliser. Belgium 1-1 Egypt. The whole sequence took less time than it takes to read this paragraph.
Egypt will look at that moment for a long time and wonder what might have been.
For 65 minutes before that, this had been one of the great World Cup stories quietly building in front of 66,775 people in Seattle. Egypt — a nation that had only ever led a World Cup match for 29 minutes across their entire history, never won a single game at the tournament, kept just one clean sheet — were 19 minutes in and ahead against Belgium. Properly ahead. Deservedly ahead.
Emam Ashour did it. A midfielder playing in his 30th international appearance, he picked the ball up roughly 20 yards out and hit a strike of real quality past the Belgian goalkeeper. His first international goal. Could not have picked a bigger stage. The Egyptian end of Lumen Field went up like they had already won the World Cup.
Belgium were nowhere in the first half. Rudi Garcia’s side looked sluggish in the Seattle heat, struggled to build any rhythm, and gave Egypt’s compact shape very little to worry about defensively. De Bruyne tried to spark something with a free kick that came back off the outside of the post — close, not close enough. There was no real urgency from the European side until the interval whistle finally gave them a chance to reset.
The second half was different. Garcia made his move. Lukaku — the man who had not started, the man whose mere presence changes how defences think — came on in the 66th minute with his side still behind.
Twenty-two seconds. Hany, trying to track Lukaku’s run into the box, turned the ball past his own goalkeeper. 1-1. Lukaku celebrated like he had scored it himself, and in every sense that matters to a striker’s legacy, he basically had.
Belgium could not find the second goal that would have completed the turnaround. Egypt, shaken but not broken, regrouped and held their shape for the remaining 24 minutes. Both sides had their moments late on — Vanaken tried to get a cross in from the wing after Egypt were briefly caught in possession on a break, but Hany recovered well enough to deny it.
Full time: 1-1. A fair result given everything that happened across the 90 minutes, even if the manner of the equaliser will be the story everyone remembers.
The numbers were close throughout. Belgium had 15 attempts to Egypt’s 14. Three shots on target each. Possession split 52-38 in Belgium’s favour with the rest contested. Two yellow cards apiece. This was not one team dominating another — it was two sides matching each other for long stretches, with the smallest of margins deciding who walked away happier.
Belgium have now failed to win any of their last three World Cup matches dating back to their group stage elimination in Qatar four years ago. That run continues. The Group G picture now shifts to Iran and New Zealand, playing later the same day — a win for either of them takes them top, ahead of both Belgium and Egypt on this opening set of results.
For Egypt, there is real pride to take from Monday despite not getting the win their performance deserved. They led a World Cup match for longer than at any point in their history before Monday. They created enough chances in the second half to potentially have put the game beyond Belgium’s reach. Ashour’s goal will be replayed for years regardless of how the rest of the tournament goes for his country.
For live World Cup scores from every group, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full results, standings and fixtures at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Belgium 1-1 Egypt FIFA World Cup 2026, Group G | Monday, 15 June 2026 Lumen Field, Seattle | Attendance: 66,775
Goals: Emam Ashour 19′ (Egypt), Mohamed Hany 66′ OG (Belgium, forced by Lukaku 22 seconds after coming on)
Belgium: Courtois; defenders; De Bruyne, Vanaken; forwards including Lukaku (sub 66′) Egypt: Shobeir; Hany, defenders; Ashour, midfielders; Mohamed Salah and forwards
Stats: Possession Belgium 52% — Egypt 38% (10% contested) | Attempts 15-14 | Shots on Target 3-3 | Yellow Cards 2-2 | Half-time: 0-1
