Who will make it out of Group G and into the last 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? We assess the credentials of Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.
Belgium kickstart Group D when they face Egypt in Seattle on 15 June, allowing for another chance to see counterparts Thibaut Courtois (34) is still regarded as one of the game’s best goalkeepers, although he missed two months of last season with a thigh injury and only returned in May.
De Bruyne (34) also endured thigh problems, albeit much more severe, and managed just 13 starts in Serie A for Napoli. Meanwhile, his compatriot and club teammate Thomas Meunier (34) are still involved as well, though they were never in the same bracket as the aforementioned trio.
Belgium may therefore need to rely on a younger generation if they are to have success at this summer’s tournament. Clubs are circling for Lille winger Jérémy Doku, coming off a fine season for Manchester City, is expected to be the catalyst if Belgium are to progress from Group G, something they achieved in 89.5% of the supercomputer’s simulations.
Doku was electric during qualifying. He completed 47 dribbles, at least 20 more than any other European player, while his 110 touches in the opposition box were at least 42 more than any competitor.
Belgium are not considered among the tournament favourites and, with the supercomputer giving them only the 10th-best chance of becoming world champions (2.4%) – behind the Netherlands (4.0%) and Norway (3.3%) – they cannot claim to be the best of the rest either. Perhaps they are back in ‘dark horse’ territory once again.
Egypt are expected to be Belgium’s main challengers in Group G, progressing in 68.2% of simulations, with a 20.3% chance of topping the group.
They will need to improve significantly on their historical World Cup record if they are to justify those projections. Only Honduras (9) have played more World Cup matches without ever winning than Egypt (7).
Salah’s Liverpool career may have ended on a slightly sour note after a poor campaign for both club and player, but he remains Egypt’s undisputed talisman. Indeed, he was their top scorer (9) and top assister (3) during World Cup qualifying, ultimately being directly involved in 60% of their goals.
At the time of writing, ahead of Egypt’s friendly with Brazil on 6 June, Salah has scored 67 goals for Egypt and needs three more to become their all-time top scorer. The man ahead of him? Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan (69), who finished his international career with 69 goals.
Iran have plenty of World Cup experience, with this their seventh appearance overall and their fifth in the 21st century. So far, though, their participation has yet to yield any success. They are yet to progress past the first round – only Scotland (8) have made more appearances in the finals without doing so.
Meanwhile, among teams to have taken part in 15+ World Cup matches, Iran have scored the fewest goals per game (0.72), while only Bulgaria have a lower win rate (11.5%, vs 16.7% for Iran).
The fact that Iran are still rated to have a 64.3% chance of progressing from Group G despite all of the above likely comes down to the apparent weakness of the group’s fourth team, New Zealand.
The All Whites, who have never won a World Cup match, progressed from the group in just 47.8% of simulations.
They will be managed by Englishman Darren Bazeley. He won the 2024 OFC Nations Cup with New Zealand and is the third individual to lead the nation at a World Cup tournament, after John Adshead (1982) and Ricki Herbert (2010).
*All prediction data is accurate as of 4 June 2026.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
World Cup 2026: Group G Predictions and Preview Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about world cup 2026 group g predictions and preview was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( World Cup 2026: Group G Predictions and Preview )
Also on site :
- 3 shot at Sam Yeto High School graduation on Fairfield High campus, officials say
- Love Island USA’s Vasana Montgomery Addresses Racism Controversy After Shocking Removal From Show
- Over 14,000 PG&E customers affected by power outage in Nevada County