The narrative surrounding Group G going into the tournament was that it would be quite easy to predict, but after just the first matchweek, the script has been completely flipped, and it now ranks among the most unpredictable groups at this World Cup.

In the first fixture of the group, group favourites Belgium and Egypt clashed in a game billed as the deciding fixture to decide who would finish top of the group, but after finishing all square, it really could go either way.

Later in the day, fans witnessed one of the most surprising games of the World Cup so far, as Iran and New Zealand battled to a 2-2 draw in an entertaining, end-to-end fixture.

As we prepare for a crucial set of games in matchweek two, here are five things that were learned from the opening fixtures.

Before this World Cup, only one European team had ever won the tournament outside the continent, and it looks like the difficulties European nations face abroad will continue, as seen in the first round of the group stage.

In the opening 13 games involving European sides against nations from different continents, just five have been victorious, with Belgium, who were favoured to win their opening tie, among those who failed to pick up all three points.

With the weight of expectations lifted from their shoulders after previous tournaments, where they were often seen as favourites, Belgium still struggled to get going against Egypt.

While they lacked the same star power they had in previous World Cups, they were still heavy favourites to top the group, but their opening-game performance threw that into disrepute.

The midfield trio of Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans and Kevin De Bruyne looked dominant on paper, but the possession stats told a completely different story, with the Red Devils just edging possession with 54%.

Much of the hype surrounding this Belgian side focused on Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku, but the 24-year-old struggled to make a real difference against Egypt, being completely nullified in his starting left-wing position, which forced him to switch to right-wing and even to striker in the second half.

Opening games are always tricky, as seen by Spain’s shock 0-0 draw to Cape Verde, so it’s not a suggestion that Belgium suddenly find themselves in danger of a group-stage exit, but it’s certainly ramped up the pressure on their match against Iran.

Coming in as the lowest-ranked nation of this World Cup, almost no one would have expected New Zealand to produce one of the most surprising results of the opening round, with the All Whites putting on a great display to draw 2-2 with Iran.

Twice, they took the lead, but they never looked like they were trying to shut up shop and protect that lead as many would have expected. Instead, they kept on pushing forward and utilised target man Chris Wood brilliantly as the focal point up top, with most of New Zealand’s attacking play going through the 34-year-old, as seen by his two assists for Elijah Just.

Given how dominant they are in Oceania, it was always going to be hard for their style of play to translate against the more established footballing nations. Rather than adopting a more defensive style of play, the All Whites stuck with their possession-focused tactical setup, and it worked, as Darren Bazeley’s side maintained 52% possession.

As the search for their elusive first-ever World Cup win continues, this side clearly has the ambition and belief that they can compete with the other sides in the group, having successfully gone toe-to-toe with Iran.

While Belgium’s poor opening game performance can be criticised, Egypt’s setup was a major factor in frustrating the Red Devils and deserves praise.

Going into the tournament, the Pharaohs were expected to finish second in the group, but their strong and disciplined defensive display gives them as good a chance as any to challenge Belgium for a top-spot finish.

Tournament football is often won by the defence rather than the attack, and Egypt’s back line was superb, with Mohamed Hany, in particular, excellent at nullifying Jeremy Doku’s threat. Despite scoring the unfortunate own goal, he was one of the best players on the pitch.

Pair that defence with the threat of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush in the attack, and you have a side that will be difficult to beat. Despite having quite poor seasons, Salah thrived in a more central role, and Marmoush looked very dangerous on the counter-attack.

One potential concern was that Salah, who was nursing a hamstring injury coming into the World Cup, was replaced in the 75th minute, but it’s not yet known whether the substitution was tactical or due to injury.

That aside, Hossam Hassan will be encouraged by his side’s performance against Belgium and will be confident that they can compete with Iran and New Zealand, as Egypt looks for their first-ever World Cup win. A victory against New Zealand in their next game would leave The Pharaohs in a brilliant position going into the final round, as they look for an unlikely first-placed finish.

While they will be disappointed to have come away from their game against New Zealand with just one point, one positive Amir Ghalenoei can take is his side’s determination to fight back twice from behind to draw their opening game.

That resilience will be a major positive in the group stage, with knockout competitions often about finding ways to stay in a tie even on an off day and come away with a result, exactly as Iran did against New Zealand.

It’s hard to ignore the significant off-field distractions Iran faces, with its participation in the tournament in question just weeks before the World Cup kicked off.

They also faced major issues obtaining visas for team members other than the squad and coaching staff, as well as significant travel problems. Being based in Mexico, Iran must fly to and from their games on the same day, something that no one else has to do, and find themselves at a disadvantage compared to the other nations in Group G.

Their ‘us against them’ mentality was on full show against New Zealand, but they face a much tougher task next against Belgium, where they will have a chance to make a real statement.

The biggest takeaway from Matchday One is that no one knows who will qualify, with the group finely balanced after both opening fixtures ended in draws.

This means the second matchday of Group G at the 2026 World Cup is set to be a thrilling set of fixtures, where a single win could transform a team’s prospects.

Belgium will go into the game against Iran knowing they can’t afford another slip-up, whereas Iran will look to take advantage of the Red Devils’ poor start and claim a major scalp at the tournament, despite such adversity.

Egypt vs New Zealand has suddenly become a very compelling fixture to watch, as the two teams, who both defied expectations, will know that a win will put them one foot in the knockout stages.

The uncertainty surrounding Group G makes it a fascinating one to watch, and the results of both games could go either way, so don’t be surprised if we see another set of surprising results.