Here they are by the numbers Belgium FIFA ranked ninth Rudi Garcia the Frenchman in charge Squad value estimated above seven hundred million euros Egypt Ranked twenty-ninth Hossam Hassan on the touchline Perfect ten and zero qualifying Iran Ranked twenty-first Amir Ghalenoei in charge A fourth consecutive World Cup And New Zealand Ranked eighty-fifth Darren Bazeley leading the All Whites Their third World Cup ever

Let's start at the top Belgium FIFA ranked ninth Rudi Garcia the Frenchman appointed on the twenty-fourth of January twenty twenty-five Ex-Roma Marseille Napoli Squad value estimated above seven hundred million euros The highest ranked team in Group G by twelve places Belgium were ranked number one in the world for over eleven hundred consecutive days from November twenty eighteen to January twenty twenty-two and never won the World Cup Their best ever finish was third place in twenty eighteen In Qatar twenty twenty-two they were eliminated at the group stage The strength is their core The weakness is age De Bruyne thirty-four Lukaku thirty-one This is their last realistic shot

Kevin De Bruyne The architect Thirty-four years old S S C Napoli in Serie A One hundred and fifteen caps thirty-six goals Six goals and one assist in six qualifying matches The most goals by any midfielder in UEFA World Cup twenty twenty-six qualifying Three-time Champions League winner with Manchester City This is his final World Cup Romelu Lukaku The number nine Thirty-one years old S S C Napoli joined permanently in August twenty twenty-four for around thirty million euros One hundred and twenty-four caps Eighty-nine goals Belgium's all-time top scorer The only Belgian ever to reach eighty international goals Nineteen World Cup qualifying goals across his career Jérémy Doku The left winger Twenty-three years old Manchester City Around thirty caps Scored twice against Liechtenstein on the eighteenth of November twenty twenty-five to seal qualification Garcia called him the player who lights the fuse after his contributions in a five-two friendly win over the U S A in March Belgium's most explosive transition weapon Thibaut Courtois The goalkeeper Thirty-three years old Real Madrid contract extended to twenty twenty-eight One hundred and seven caps Won the twenty eighteen World Cup Golden Glove Multiple Champions League titles with Real Madrid Returned to the national team under Garcia in March twenty twenty-five

Now Egypt Ranked twenty-ninth Hossam Hassan Egypt's all-time leading scorer with sixty-nine goals in charge Squad value estimated around one hundred and fifty to two hundred million euros Egypt qualified by winning CAF Group A with ten wins zero draws zero losses Plus eighteen goal differential The most dominant African qualifying campaign in memory The strength is Salah at thirty-three on his unfinished business tour The weakness is history Four World Cup appearances Zero advances past the group stage

Mohamed Salah The captain Thirty-three years old Liverpool in the Premier League confirmed leaving at the end of the twenty twenty-five twenty twenty-six season Over one hundred caps sixty-seven goals The all-time top scorer in African World Cup qualifying history with twenty goals Scored a brace against Djibouti to seal qualification FIFA call this his unfinished business Omar Marmoush The forward Twenty-six years old Manchester City signed in January twenty twenty-five from Eintracht Frankfurt Thirty-five plus caps Led the Bundesliga scoring charts at Frankfurt before the move Scored twice at the twenty twenty-five Africa Cup of Nations as Egypt reached the semi-finals The release valve when Salah is double-marked Ahmed Hegazi The centre-back Thirty-four years old Last confirmed at Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League Eighty-eight caps Egypt's most capped active outfield defender The defensive anchor through the twenty eighteen World Cup and multiple Africa Cup of Nations campaigns Aerial presence and dressing-room leader Mostafa Mohamed The striker Twenty-six years old Last confirmed at Nantes in Ligue 1 Around thirty-five caps fifteen goals Egypt's primary central forward when Salah drifts to the right Scored key goals in the twenty twenty-two Africa Cup of Nations final run The reference point in the box

Now Iran Ranked twenty-first Amir Ghalenoei in charge since twenty twenty-three Squad value estimated around sixty to eighty million euros Iran qualified through the AFC third round sealed by a two-two draw with Uzbekistan on the twenty-fifth of March twenty twenty-five Taremi scored both goals This is Iran's fourth consecutive World Cup Seven appearances overall zero knockout-stage runs The weakness is the Azmoun absence Sardar Azmoun Iran's number two all-time scorer with fifty-seven goals was expelled in March twenty twenty-six over a political social media post Iran are arriving without their second-best attacker

Mehdi Taremi The number nine Thirty-three years old Olympiacos in Greece signed on the thirty-first of August twenty twenty-five from Inter Milan One hundred caps fifty-six goals Iran's third all-time top scorer Provided the decisive assist to Frattesi in the ninety-ninth minute of extra time in the twenty twenty-five Champions League semi-final against Barcelona Ten goals and two assists at Olympiacos this season Alireza Jahanbakhsh The captain Thirty-two years old F C V Dender E H in Belgium joined on the fourth of November twenty twenty-five from Feyenoord Ninety-four caps thirty-eight goals Featured on the official twenty twenty-six FIFA World Cup poster A fourth consecutive World Cup Iran's creative leader Alireza Beiranvand The goalkeeper Thirty-three years old Tractor in the Persian Gulf Pro League Sixty-six caps Saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at the twenty eighteen World Cup against Portugal Iranian Footballer of the Year twenty nineteen Iran's single biggest weapon against quality opposition Ali Gholizadeh The right winger Thirty years old Lech Poznań in the Polish Ekstraklasa Fifty-two caps fourteen goals Five goals and four assists in the Ekstraklasa this season Belgium's Charleroi from twenty eighteen to twenty twenty-three The directness on the right that balances Jahanbakhsh on the left

And finally New Zealand Ranked eighty-fifth Darren Bazeley the Englishman appointed in November twenty twenty-two Squad value estimated around twenty to thirty million euros New Zealand qualified through the OFC third round beating New Caledonia The forty-eight team expansion meant no inter-confederation play-off which had eliminated them in twenty fourteen twenty eighteen and twenty twenty-two The strength is their twenty ten record Three draws unbeaten the only team in that tournament to leave without losing The weakness is harder Zero World Cup wins ever Three draws and three losses across two tournaments Wood at thirty-four with a knee that needed surgery in December

Chris Wood The captain Thirty-four years old Nottingham Forest in the Premier League Eighty-eight caps forty-five goals New Zealand men's all-time top scorer Knee surgery in December twenty twenty-five returned in March twenty twenty-six and scored in his first game back after five months out Led OFC qualifying with nine goals Liberato Cacace The left-back Twenty-five years old Wrexham in the Championship joined from Empoli Thirty-five caps Scored his first Wrexham goal in January twenty twenty-six in an F A Cup three-three with Nottingham Forest Suffered a hamstring setback in March New Zealand's most dynamic defender and primary cross-creator Marko Stamenić The midfielder Twenty-four years old Swansea City in the Championship after a Nottingham Forest loan at Olympiacos Around thirty-five caps Wellington-born came through F C Copenhagen's academy with a stint at Red Star Belgrade The engine of the All Whites midfield for the next decade Elijah Just The midfielder Twenty-five years old Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership Forty-two caps nine goals The second-most capped current midfielder in the All Whites after Stamenić Late runs and set-piece delivery in a team short on attacking options

Now The contrast Belgium's squad over seven hundred million euros Egypt around one hundred and fifty to two hundred million Iran sixty to eighty million New Zealand twenty to thirty million Belgium's squad is worth more than twenty times New Zealand's And the FIFA rank spread Nine twenty-one twenty-nine eighty-five Added together one hundred and forty-four Group A came in at one hundred and forty-two Group B at one hundred and sixty-nine Group C at one hundred and forty Group D at one hundred and five Group E at one hundred and forty-nine Group F at one hundred and seven Group G sits between C and A in difficulty Top-heavy with Belgium with a massive cliff to New Zealand

Now the matches

Match one The fifteenth of June Belgium versus Egypt Lumen Field in Seattle Sixty-nine thousand seats Home of the Seahawks and the Sounders Natural grass laid specifically for this World Cup Twelve noon local kickoff De Bruyne against Salah The group's headline opener Match two The fifteenth of June Iran versus New Zealand SoFi Stadium in Inglewood California Seventy thousand seats Fully enclosed translucent roof The largest Group G venue Eighteen hundred local kickoff Taremi against Wood Iran's likeliest three points Match three The twenty-first of June Belgium versus Iran SoFi Stadium in Inglewood again Twelve noon local kickoff The match that probably decides Iran's ceiling Garcia's press against Ghalenoei's organised block Match four The twenty-first of June New Zealand versus Egypt B C Place in Vancouver Fifty-four thousand five hundred seats Retractable roof The only Canadian venue in Group G Eighteen hundred local kickoff Salah against an All Whites back line Match five The twenty-sixth of June Egypt versus Iran Lumen Field in Seattle Twenty hundred local kickoff The critical match for second place Salah's unfinished business against Taremi's quality Match six The twenty-sixth of June New Zealand versus Belgium B C Place in Vancouver Twenty hundred local kickoff Simultaneous with Egypt versus Iran The two finishing whistles will overlap One of the tournament's must-watch slots

Now The verdict The bookmakers agree Belgium win Group G Implied probability around seventy-two to seventy-four percent Egypt take second Around eighteen percent to win the group Iran sit just behind Around fourteen to fifteen percent New Zealand finish fourth Under five percent The hinge is Egypt versus Iran at Lumen Field on the final matchday Win that and you advance

Mark the dates The fifteenth of June Belgium versus Egypt in Seattle Iran versus New Zealand in Inglewood The twenty-first of June Belgium versus Iran in Inglewood New Zealand versus Egypt in Vancouver The twenty-sixth of June The final matchday Egypt versus Iran in Seattle New Zealand versus Belgium in Vancouver