Group G has to be one of the weakest World Cup groups I’ve seen in quite some time. Belgium is the strongest team on paper, and they’re grouped with Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand. Belgium are looking to recover from their disappointing group stage exit in 2022, but their golden generation isn’t getting any younger. Iran will lean on 33-year-old former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi for goals. Egypt will be hoping for some magic from 33-year-old Mohamed Salah and from the younger Omar Marmoush. New Zealand will be hoping that
34-year-old striker Chris Wood can make the difference for them. History will be made here, because none of Egypt, Iran, or New Zealand have ever made it out of a World Cup group before. Let’s take a look at Group G to quickly examine the teams and their chances.
Schedule
Monday, June 15th
Belgium vs. Egypt (3pm), Iran vs. New Zealand (1am Monday night/Tuesday morning)
Sunday, June 21st
New Zealand vs. Egypt (3pm), Belgium vs. Iran (9pm)
Friday, June 26th
New Zealand vs. Belgium, Egypt vs. Iran (both 11pm)
Belgium
After missing out on the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Belgium had a meteoric rise, reaching the quarterfinals in 2014 and the semifinals in 2018, before crashing out of their group in 2022. They’ll be looking to return to their 2014 and 2018 performances, but their golden generation isn’t as young as it once was. Romelo Lukaku is 33, Kevin de Bruyne and Thomas Meunier are 34 (as is Thibaut Courtois, but that’s not as big of a deal for a ‘keeper), and Axel Witsel is 37. There is some youth in the ranks, and how that group performs maybe critical to how far this Belgium team goes. In midfield, there’s Youri Tielemans (29, Aston Villa) and Amadou Onana (24, Aston Villa). Further forward, you have Jérémy Doku (24, Man City) and Christian Pulisic’s club teammate Alexis Saelemaekers (26, AC Milan). Bridging the gap between the two generations is Leandro Trossard (31, Arsenal).
FIFA Ranking: 9
Elo Ranking: 17
Transfermarkt squad value: €549 million (10th-highest at the World Cup)
Iran
Iran is the highest-ranked of the three “never gotten out of the group” teams in Group G. Iran missed the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, but did qualify in 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022,, with the same predictable outcome. Mehdi Tarehmi, the 33-year-old former FC Porto striker who now plays for Olympiacos, is the talisman and the one who will be called upon to provide clutch moments. Team captain Ehsan Hajsafi (defender, age 36) plays his club football for Sepahan in Iran. It will be critical for Iran to get off to a strong start against New Zealand in their opening match if they want to progress. New Zealand is the weakest team in the group on paper, and Iran will want to get some momentum (and points) before they face Belgium in their second game.
FIFA Ranking: 21
Elo Ranking: 31
Transfermarkt squad value: €33 million (44th at the tournament)
Egypt
Like Iran, Egypt has never made it out of their group. Unlike Iran, Egypt has only qualified for the World Cup once in the 21st century, at least, until this World Cup. Egypt’s 2018 appearance was their first since 1990 (and 1934 before that). Mohamed Salah, now 33, has been a world class player for Liverpool for years, racking up 191 goals in 315 games. He’s also amassed 67 goals for Egypt in 115 international caps. Every Egypt fan will be hoping that Salah can turn in some vintage performances, and that the rest of the squad will be able to do more to support him than they have in the past. There is a boost there with the emergence and rise of Omar Marmoush (27, Man City). Marmoush has given Egypt a true second attacking threat, and could prevent teams from completely locking in on Salah the way they could years ago.
FIFA Ranking: 28
Elo Ranking: 46
Transfermarkt squad value: €117 million (34th at the tournament)
New Zealand
In a group that has three “always grouped” teams, New Zealand is the weakest on paper. Their lone 21st century World Cup appearance came in 2010. 34-year-old striker Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) is the captain and the chief scoring threat. Defender Tyler Bindon (21, Sheffield United) spent 6 years in the LAFC academy and even played with the USA U19s before becoming a New Zealand international. MLS fans may be familiar with defenders Michael Boxall (37, Minnesota United) and Finn Surman (22, Portland Timbers), and defender Tommy Smith (36, Braintree Town) spent time with the Colorado Rapids years ago.
FIFA Ranking: 85
Elo Ranking: 72
Transfermarkt squad value: €35 million (42nd at the tournament)
Who will advance from Group G? What matches are most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments.
