Egypt’s world cup campaign kicks off in a few hours against a difficult Belgian side. What you may not know though, is that Egypt dominated Belgium historically. Coincidence? We think not. Let’s go back through the years and relive each match.
The First Meeting: 30th March, 1999
The stage was Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Liège, Belgium. The stage was set for the Gohary generation to test their strength against a very good Belgium team at the time. A team featuring Marc Wilmots and Lorenzo Staelens. However, they struggled to break down Gohary’s defensive structure. Egypt’s line-up had some legendary names like Hazem Emam and current National team coach Hossam Hassan. The game ended 1-0 to Egypt, with Hazem Emam scoring the only goal.
The Cairo Meeting: 9th February, 2005
The next meeting between Egypt and Belgium came in 2005 on home soil in the Cairo International Stadium. The legendary Hassan Shehata had just taken the reins of the national team a few months prior in late 2004 following the sacking of Marco Tardelli. The squad featured names that would later become infamous in Egyptian football. Osama Hosny, Emad Meteb, Aboutrika, Ahmed Hassan, Amr Zaki. The Belgian squad was in a transitional phase at the time, and a very young Vincent Kompany was in defense that night. He’d learn a harsh lesson in Cairo as the Pharaohs came out victorious 4-0.
The first defeat: 6th June, 2018
For this one we go back to Belgium. Specifically, King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. A place where Egypt would fall to their first defeat against a golden generation Belgium team. The game ended 3–0. And the Belgians fielded a line-up featuring the likes of Eden Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Courtois. A team that would later go on to finish third in that year’s World Cup. While Egypt were under the management of the very defensive Hector Cuper.
Back to winning ways: 18th November, 2022
The next game came in 2022. In a neutral venue in Kuwait. Belgium was heading into the 2022 Qatar world cup, and we decided to play the part of the party-poopers. Or rather a sign of what was to come for the Belgians. Belgium once again started with Hazard, Courtois, and Kevin De Bruyne. Egypt went back to winning ways, with a 2-1 victory. For us egyptians, it served as a painful reminder that we weren’t going to the world cup. For Belgium, it was foreshadowing for a disappointing group-stage exit.
Today: 15th June, 2026
Today marks the 5th time both teams meet. And the first time they meet in the World Cup. And in many ways today’s result can determine who’ll be finishing on top in a group that also has New Zealand and Iran. Will Egypt continue their weird dominance over Belgium? Or will Belgium earn their second-ever victory?
Tell us if you’re watching the game, and your predictions for the score!
