Group G

The Farewell Tour Group

Venues: Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver

The Group

Group G is not a group of death. Call it what it is: a gift for Belgium and a genuine shot at history for two nations who have never won a World Cup match. Belgium enter as heavy favourites, priced around -220 to win the group, and rightly so. Rudi Garcia's 4-2-3-1 leans on a 34-year-old Kevin De Bruyne still capable of unlocking any defence, a returning Thibaut Courtois between the sticks, and Jérémy Doku's raw pace causing chaos on the left. The catch is Romelu Lukaku, who managed roughly an hour of competitive football all season at Napoli, scored once, and arrives with his match fitness a serious question mark. Belgium qualified by topping UEFA Group J unbeaten and should reach the knockouts with minimal drama. Egypt are the clearest challenger. Mohamed Salah turns 34 on the day of the opener against Belgium in Seattle, but he was directly involved in 60% of Egypt's qualifying goals, finishing with nine goals and three assists. Omar Marmoush of Manchester City gives Hossam Hassan a genuinely dangerous second striker. Egypt have never won a World Cup match across three previous appearances, and this is their most realistic shot. Iran arrive for a seventh World Cup having never cleared the group stage. Amir Ghalenoei loses Sardar Azmoun entirely, which strips the attack of 57 international goals worth of firepower. Mehdi Taremi at Olympiacos carries the load, but Iran's domestic-heavy squad and cautious counter-attacking style makes them a tough watch. New Zealand are genuinely out of their depth here. Chris Wood is class, but he's nursing a knee injury and the All Whites lost seven of eight friendlies across the back half of 2025. They return to a World Cup for the first time since 2010 courtesy of Oceania's expanded berth, not earned dominance against real opposition.