World Cup Group G Betting Preview | Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand

World Cup Group G Preview

Did you know…In the early 2000s, GoldSheet had a sister publication named European Soccer Weekly?! Long before every European soccer (cough football) match was broadcast in the US on ESPN, Peacock and Paramount, Bruce Marshall and Co. were breaking down the action on the pitch. Bruce shares his thoughts on World Cup Group G, which features plenty of intriguing off-the-field storylines.

World Cup Group G Odds

Team	Win the Group	Round of 16	Win the Tournament
Belgium	-250	-250	+2200
Egypt	+430	+175	+30000
Iran	+700	+250	+75000
New Zealand	+2200	+1200	+250000

Odds above courtesy of FanDuel as of June 10.

Belgium

Perhaps flying a bit under the radar will work better for the Belgians, as the recent “golden era” always teased at something more but never could deliver better than a third-place finish at World Cup 2018, when the likes of Vincent Kompany and Eden Hazard were still in the frame.

Some remnants of the golden generation remain for a likely last shot at the big ring…is there enough petrol in the tank to spring a surprise deep run? Kevin De Bruyne (nowadays winding down his career at Napoli), Axel Witsel (now 37), Romelu Lukaku (who played very little this season in Serie A due to injury), and GK Thibaut Courtois are all making their fourth and perhaps last World Cup appearances.

An undefeated run thru the qualifiers has buoyed hope in Brussels and elsewhere in the low country, though not all of the efforts really impressed…and the Red Devils never seem to lose a qualifier anyway, now more than 11 years unbeaten in those matches. Yet there are enough seasoned observers in Europe who are keeping an eye on Belgium as a possible surprise serious contender, as new blood as offered by the likes of Jeremy Doku (Man City), Leandro Trossard (arsenal), Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana (both from the Aston Villa midfield) look very capable of providing a sustainable spark.

Doku, in particular, bears watching after scoring some worldies for City down the stretch (his +700 price as Belgium’s leading scorer seems worth a flyer), and while the Belgians have never really replaced Kompany in central defense, the backline might now be able to produce more bomber runs from left and right-back spots thanks to the speed of both Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton) and Thomas Meunier (Lille).

The squad seems to be responding positively to well-traveled gaffer Rudi Garcia, too. Mostly, we like the potential path thru the knockouts against a third-place finisher in the Round of 32, then potentially a beatable Group D winner (USA? Turkey?) in the round fo 16.

Of course, Belgium has to win the group to get this preferred path, and the fun would likely end in the quarters as Spain is expected to advance and provide the opposition. Yet after many disappointments across the past decade, we suspect most Belgian fans would sign up right now for a run to the quarters and a shot at Spain. Not to mention a chance for a good potential ROI just by Belgium advancing to the last eight.

Egypt

The Egyptians have been waiting for another crack at the World Cup since their flameout in 2018, though the question in Cairo and elsewhere is if they team is now, if not at its sell-by date, at least on the downside with so many vets likely participating in their last Copa Mundial.

That might include the highest-profile Egyptian player ever, Liverpool’s (or should we now say ex-Liverpool’s) Mo Salah, who missed 2018 due to injury thanks to Sergio Ramos and his roughhouse tactics in the Champions League finale vs. Real Madrid. Finally, this is Salah’s chance on the big stage, but we wonder if illustrative of where the national side is these days that it might be a couple of years too late for the primetime Mo, now off of a most-difficult campaign at Liverpool and with future club destination unknown after announcing his departure from Anfield.

We do know that Egypt was all-business in the qualifiers, rolling thru the ten matches with eight wins and two draws, though worryingly, it failed to ignite in AFCON last December. Along the way in the qualifiers, it also appeared that Egypt was developing some other sharp edges aside from Salah…Man City’s Omar Marmoush, in particular, who looked Egypt’s top threat as the qualifiers rolled onward, and offering a very tasty price (+375) to become the top Egyptian scorer at the World Cup, while Al Ahly’s Mahmoud Trezeguet was another non-Salah livewire in the qualifiers.

While the Pharaohs’ pragmatic (dull?) style isn’t always well-received at home, and many fans think a foreign manager might be able to unlock Marmoush & Co a bit better than the conservative Hossam Hassan, Egypt looks like it will be a difficult out, and well-equipped to park the bus and drop into a tight low-block whenever staked to a 1-0 lead.

A second-place finish in the group isn’t the worst thing, either, as it would set up a winnable Round of 32 match vs. the Group D runner-up (Turkey? USA? Paraguay? Australia?). Some tasty prices then, to reach the last 16, and likely getting eliminated once there, look potentially good value.

Iran

Well, to say the situation with the Iranians is unique might be a bit of an understatement. After all, playing three matches in a country in which you’ve recently been involved with in a war conjures up all sorts of speculation. Not that Iran isn’t used to disruptions and distractions, having to move past home games to different locales among those. Players based internationally have had their own distractions as well.

It’s also worth reminding that there is a chance, and not a completely remote chance, that Iran and the USA both finish second in their groups and meet on the pitch at the top of the knockout phase (whoa!!), an occurrence that would remind of the matchup vs. the Yanks at World Cup 1998 (won by Iran 2-1)…and then some. Given the circumstances, setting up camp in Mexico instead probably wasn’t the worst idea.

To the pitch, and the Iranians look to make it out of the group phase for the first time in seven tries, which includes three straight group exits into 2026. Hard to glean much from their weak Asian qualifying group, but stylistically, Iran is pragmatic to the extreme, a style championed by manager Amir Ghalenoei, whose approach might make Didier Deschamps or Mikel Arteta look like riverboat gamblers by comparison.

Some regional observers suggest that’s too bad, because there are various potential creative elements like striker Mehdi Taremi, who resumed his goal-scoring ways this season in Greece at Olympiacos as he did a few years earlier with Porto (we won’t mention his non-descript season in between at Inter Milan).

It is hard to tell if the outside developments become distractions or motivators, but what we can expect is for Iran to park the bus if it ever gets the lead in a game…and be in desperate trouble should it fall behind. A win over New Zealand would seem mandatory to advance, but we’re hardly sure that will happen.

New Zealand

We know a few observers who actually keep an eye on Oceania that suggest the Kiwis might not be as out of their depth in Group G as the prices suggest. While hard to draw any conclusions from a qualifying group that included Tahiti and New Caledonia, winning all five while outscoring the opposition 29-1, there were a couple of efforts in friendlies last fall that might provide a bit more of a clue about New Zealand’s ceiling.

Indeed, a 1-1 draw at. Erling Haaland’s Norway and a 1-0 win over CAF contender Ivory Coast might be enough to indicate that in this G group, at least, the Kiwis aren’t necessarily out of their depth.

Better news came earlier in the spring when talismanic forward Chris Wood, one of the EPL’s leading scorers last season (2024-25) at Nottingham Forest, but sidelined nearly six months in the just-completed term because of a knee injury, returned to active duty at the City Ground and knocked in a few goals as Vitor Pereira’s side moved clear of the EPL drop zone and advcanced to the Europa League semis. Moroever, veteran manager Darren Bazeley, who featured in England during his playing days, has been down under for close to 20 years and worked with all age-groups of New Zealand teams.

We suspect there’s a chance that the Kiwis, with several players involved in the MLS and in England (most of those, besides Wood, beneath the Premier League) can grind out a couple of draws and recall when they did that one better in their last World Cup sixteen years ago, holding Slovakia, Paraguay, and Italy all level…and the only team to leave South Africa unbeaten.

World Cup Group G Predictions

Belgium: Best Bet – Total goals “over” 9.5 +125, finish 1-2 in group in front of Egypt at +162. Bigger Price to Watch – To reach quarterfinals at +175, stage of elimination quarterfinals at +400, Belgium top scorer (must win) Jeremy Doku at +700.

Egypt: Best Bet – Finish 1-2 behind Belgium at +162. Bigger Price to Watch – Reach the Round of 16, eliminated at final 16 at +350, Egypt top scorer (must win) Omar Marmoush at +375.

Iran: Best Bet – Iran top scorer (must win) Medhi Teremi at -163, total goals “under” 4.5 at -150.

New Zealand: Best Bet – New Zealand top scorer (must win) Chris Wood at +100. Bigger Price Watch – Land on 2 points in group at +900.

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