Belgium Stall in Group G With Two Draws and No Open-Play Goals

Belgium Stall in Group G With Two Draws and No Open-Play Goals

Belgium arrived at the 2026 World Cup carrying the usual mix of expectation and impatience, and two matches into Group G they have produced neither a defeat nor a convincing performance. Two draws, two points, not a single goal from open play. For a squad still packed with familiar names, the opening week in North America has felt less like a statement and more like a held breath.

The 0-0 stalemate with Iran on 21 June followed the 1-1 draw against Egypt on 15 June, leaving the Red Devils stuck in the middle of a tight group and dependent on their final fixture to settle matters.

Egypt 1-1 Belgium: a goal that was not really theirs

The opener against Egypt set the tone. Belgium dominated possession and created openings, yet the breakthrough, when it came, was not one they could fully claim as their own. Shortly after coming on, Romelu Lukaku forced the issue inside the box, and his pressure ended with Mohamed Hany turning the ball into his own net.

It was an own goal, the kind of moment that flatters a scoreline without flattering a performance. Belgium had pushed Lukaku on to change the game, and in the most literal sense he did, even if the record will credit the deflection rather than the striker.

The clearest chance to settle the contest on merit fell to Kevin De Bruyne. In the 53rd minute the midfielder worked himself a sight of goal and struck the post, the woodwork denying him a finish that would have given Belgium daylight. Egypt, with Mohamed Salah leading their line, eventually drew level and the points were shared.

For all their territory, Belgium walked away with a single point and a nagging question: where would the goals come from if the own goals dried up?

Belgium 0-0 Iran: chances without a finish

The answer, against Iran on 21 June, was uncomfortable. Belgium again had the better of the play and again could not turn pressure into a goal. The match finished goalless, a result that stings more for a team that came in expecting to control the group.

Twice now Belgium have failed to score from open play despite working themselves into promising positions. Iran defended with discipline and structure, content to absorb pressure and protect a point, and Belgium had no reply. The frustration was familiar to anyone who has watched a possession-heavy side run out of ideas in the final third.

Two games and a growing sense that the finishing touch is missing rather than the build-up. Belgium’s wait for a goal from open play is the thread running through both performances.

Where Belgium stand in Group G

The arithmetic is simple enough. Belgium sit on two points from two matches, having drawn with both Egypt and Iran. Group G also features New Zealand, the side Belgium have yet to face. With one round of fixtures still to play, the group remains open, and Belgium’s position is precarious rather than hopeless.

The crucial detail is that qualification remains in their own hands. Belgium do not need other results to fall their way; they need to win their final match. That clarity is a small mercy after two draws that could easily have left them relying on others. The wider World Cup 2026 qualification picture shows how quickly a group can tighten when a favourite drops points.

New Zealand next, in Vancouver

Belgium are expected to close their group stage against New Zealand on 27 June in Vancouver. It is the kind of fixture a team of Belgium’s pedigree would normally be favoured to win, and after two draws it has become the match that defines their tournament so far.

The pressure now sits squarely on the players who have so far been quietened. De Bruyne, denied by the post against Egypt, will be expected to find the precision that has long been his signature. Lukaku, whose introduction sparked the only goal Belgium have been involved in, may again be asked to provide the cutting edge from the front.

What Belgium cannot afford is a third performance long on possession and short on end product. New Zealand will arrive with nothing to lose and every incentive to frustrate, much as Iran did. Repeat the pattern of the first two matches, the dominance without the finish, and a manageable position could turn into an early exit.

For now, Belgium’s World Cup is a story of stalling rather than failing. The route through is narrow but open, and it runs through Vancouver. Whether the Red Devils can finally score from open play when it matters most is the question hanging over their final group game.

The contrast with the early pacesetters is hard to miss. While Vinicius Junior and Brazil have surged to the top of Group C and England opened with a Harry Kane double against Croatia, Belgium are still chasing a first proper strike.