2026 World Cup Group G Guide: Teams, schedule, key player

This week's World Cup will be the biggest ever tournament with 48 teams heading to the USA, Canada and Mexico for what's set to be a memorable month of action. 

Belgium could be one of the summer's perennial 'dark horses' after being drawn in a group that could come under huge focus, given the current state of play in the political sphere. 

DAZN News takes a look at Group G, examining the teams, players and big games across the opening stage of World Cup 2026. 

World Cup Group Guides 

• Group A 
• Group B
• Group C
• Group D
• Group E
• Group F
• Group G
• Group H
• Group I
• Group J
• Group K
• Group L 

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Belgium's best World Cup

All the best goals from the 2018 World Cup 

 

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Group G - at a glance 

• Belgium
• Egypt  
• Iran 
• New Zealand  

Fixtures

Predicted qualifiers 

They may not have the power they once were in their 'golden generation', but Belgium would have been pretty pleased with this draw and would be favourites to top the group. Egypt then look best equipped to take second spot ahead of Iran. 

The Teams 

Belgium 

World Ranking: 8
Best World Cup:  Third place, 2018 

The Belgians return almost a generation on from the team that promised so much but never quite managed a major trophy, but there's a quiet confidence about this latest group of players.

And so there should be after they sailed through qualifying unbeaten and boast a squad that still contains the seasoned international names of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Youri Tielemans but has a crop of young talent to be excited about, too - led by Manchester City trickster Jeremy Doku. 

They've been dealt a decent hand in the opening round, with a group they'd not only be expected to get out of, but also top comfortably. 

Beyond that? Well, expect them to be a danger for anyone but it feels a lot to ask them to match their third-place finish of 2018. 

Key man - Kevin De Bruyne 

Likely to be the last we see of KDB on a global stage, and despite now being in the winter of his career, he's still one of the best playmakers in the game and should hit his peak at the tournament after recovering from injury with Napoli. 

Manager - Rudi Garcia 

A manager with experience across Europe, having previously been boss of Roma and Marseille among others, Garcia took his first international post in January 2025 and has a contract until after the tournament. 

Getty

Egypt 

World Ranking: 34 
Best World Cup: Group stage 1990, 2018 

One of Africa's stronger teams heading to North America, Egypt will be looking to make it past the group stage after previously failing to do so in their last two World Cup appearances.

If they take their qualifying form into the summer, that shouldn't be an issue. They breezed through without losing a single game to book their place at the tournament and find themselves in a group that can definitely progress from.

With a squad that will be led by Mohamed Salah, but also includes Omar Marmoush, there's no shortage of threat in attack, and they showed at last year's AFCON that they are a threat to anybody.

How far, though, can that get them in this year's competition? 

Key man - Mohamed Salah 

A last chance on the big stage for Salah, who, despite dominating the Premier League over the past decade, has yet to show his talents at a World Cup finals. He'll be keen to go out on a bang, especially now he's in the shop window following his announcement that he's leaving Liverpool this summer. 

Manager - Hossam Hassan

A former national team striker, Hassan has coached almost exclusively in his home country and has managed nearly 500 games. He took over the national team post in 2024 and was in charge for their unbeaten qualifying campaign. 

FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images

Iran 

World Ranking: 20
Best World Cup: Group stage 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022

It's a fourth successive finals for Iran, who will be hoping the political unrest between themselves and co-host USA will be resolved by the time the tournament rolls around to avoid any unwanted distractions around the team. 

On the pitch, Iran navigated three rounds of qualifying to finally book their place at this summer's World Cup, finishing above Uzbekistan to top their group. 

They are a team that doesn't boast too many familiar names, with a large contingent of the squad based in their home country. 

However, they are currently ranked higher than Egypt and will vie with the Africans for second place and try to make the knockouts for the first time in their history. 

Key man - Mehdi Taremi

A striker who is one goal off becoming Iran’s second-highest goalscorer in their history, Taremi has shown his quality in front of goal in several countries during his club career.

Manager - Amir Ghalenoei

A vastly experienced manager in Iran, where he's coached nearly 700 games, Ghalenoei is now in his second spell as boss of the Iranian national team. 

Getty Images

New Zealand  

World Ranking: 86
Best World Cup: Group stage 1982, 2010 

New Zealand return to the World Cup fold for the first time since 2010 and will head to North America as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. 

The All Whites had to contest OFC's long-winded qualifying campaign to book their place, finally seeing off New Caledonia to reach the finals for a third time. 

There's a real mix of home-based players in the squad as well as names from far and wide, such as Port Vale, Motherwell and Saint-Etienne, all of which know they'll be huge underdogs. 

Yet, this is a tournament that has been created for the smaller nations to seize their moment and 2026 could be New Zealand's. 

Key man - Chris Wood 

It's a worrying sign that Wood has rarely been seen at Nottingham Forest this season, thanks to injury, because the striker and captain gives his country much more of a fighting chance if he's involved. 

Manager - Darren Bazeley 

As a player, Bazely spent time with Wolves and Watford, but has been part of the New Zealand coaching set-up since 2013, and this is his second spell in the top job. 

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