Group G is Belgium’s to lose. Led by elite veterans, the Red Devils are heavy favorites in the World Cup odds to top the standings, leaving the rest of the field to scramble for survival in a highly competitive race for the final knockout spot.
That second qualification place is a tight battle between Egypt’s explosive star power (Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush) and Iran’s disciplined defense, with New Zealand pegged as the group's biggest underdog.
Read our World Cup picks below for more.
Group G predictions for today
BEL
EGY
IRI
NZLOdds courtesy of Kalshi.
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Belgium vs Egypt prediction
3 p.m. ET, FOX
Belgium’s front three is better than the majority of teams in this tournament. What really stands out is how fresh they all are. Trossard only started 21 league games for Arsenal and Doku 19 for Man City, while Lukaku barely played at all. With temperatures expected to be high, freshness could come into play.
Salah has always scored well for his country with 67 goals in 116 games, and he will fancy his chances of getting opportunities against Belgium, especially with 33-year-old Club Brugge player Brandon Mechele at the heart of the Belgian backline.
Egypt’s formation is an issue. While putting numbers at the back should, in theory, keep them more defensively sound, it will, in fact, only allow more possession to the Belgians. That’s a mistake, and could be a fatal one with De Bruyne on the field. If the wing-backs create pockets of space between them and the center-backs, then expect diagonal balls to be slid into those gaps, for Doku and Trossard.
Check out Sam Farley's Belgium vs. Egypt predictions!
Iran vs New Zealand prediction
9 p.m. ET, FS1
The Iranians arrive in encouraging form — they lost just once in 16 Asian qualification games and thumped Costa Rica 5-0 earlier this year – and they’re clear favorites on Monday. Even so, I like this price for Amir Ghalenoei’s men, and it’s playable up to -140.
New Zealand’s World Cup warm-up games told us plenty about their limitations, especially a demoralizing 4-0 rout at the hands of Haiti. Facing so few stern tests in qualifying really hurts the Kiwis, leaving them to rely on the steady low block that frustrated England at times last weekend but left New Zealand with just 28% possession.
Look for a stingy Iranian defense to shut down Kiwi striker Chris Wood, paving the way for a talented attack to create chances for frontman Mehdi Taremi, and the Iranians’ experience at the past three World Cups provides another big edge in this matchup.
Check out Tom Oldfield's full Iran vs. New Zealand predictions!
Group G standings
Read our World Cup standings for a breakdown of all 12 groups.
| TEAM | GP | PTS | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
- | - | - | - | - |
 Egypt |
- | - | - | - | - |
 Iran |
- | - | - | - | - |
 New Zealand |
- | - | - | - | - |
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