By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-06-25 17:47:14 | Updated at 2026-06-25 19:01:56
1 hour ago
Three teams in Group G can still top the group, including Egypt and Iran, who face each other on Matchday 3 at the FIFA World Cup. Look ahead to the game with our match prediction and preview.
Egypt vs Iran: The Key Insights
- Egypt defeated Iran to secure Group G top spot G in 42.9% of the Opta supercomputer’s 25,000 simulations.
- Of the four sides in Group G, Iran rank bottom for shots on target (7), xG (2.1) and overall shots (24) across the first two games, while they have also faced the most shots (37) and shots on target (15).
- Mohamed Salah has either scored or assisted in all four of his World Cup appearances – the last player to achieve that feat in their first five games was Colombia’s James Rodríguez in 2014.
Egypt face Iran at the Seattle Stadium on Matchday 3 in Group G, in a match that will be played simultaneously with the group’s other fixture, New Zealand vs Belgium.
The game will take place on Friday evening locally, meaning either a very late night or a very early morning for European viewers. Either will be worth it, though, with Group G set up perfectly for a dramatic conclusion.
Egypt, Iran and Belgium all have a route to finishing top of the group.
Top spot doesn’t just bring with it bragging rights – it also brings the reward of a round-of-32 match-up with a third-place team.
Egypt have guaranteed their qualification for the knockouts either way, but they will win the group with victory here. A point would be enough, too, if Belgium fail to beat New Zealand and overturn Egypt’s goal difference advantage.
Iran can win the group if they beat Egypt and Belgium fail to beat New Zealand or win without bettering Iran’s win.
Belgium require Egypt not to win, on top of likely needing to defeat New Zealand comfortably.
The Opta supercomputer currently gives Egypt a 61.4% chance of topping Group G, Belgium 28.7%, and Iran 9.9%.
It’s heady heights for Egypt, considering their overall record at the World Cup. Their victory against New Zealand on Matchday 2 was their first win at the tournament on their ninth attempt.
They did so in style, though, with 19 shots, seven shots on target, 36 touches in the opposition’s box, 55.6% possession, and 460 successful passes. Each of those was the most they’ve recorded in a World Cup game (on record since 1966).
Marwan Attia was a stand-out in midfield. His 82 completed passes was the most on record by an Egyptian at the World Cup, and he also regained possession nine times, becoming only the second African player since 1966 to achieve both totals in a single World Cup game, after Cameroon’s Emmanuel Kunde against England in 1990.
Make no mistake, though, it’s Mohamed Salah, as always, who has been at the centre of their success so far.
He has now either scored or assisted in all four of his World Cup appearances; the last player to achieve that feat in their first five games was Colombia’s James Rodríguez in 2014.
Should Salah score in this match, he will become the Egyptian national team’s outright all-time top scorer with 69 goals. He is currently tied with Hossam Hassan, their head coach.
As with Egypt, past experiences at the World Cup haven’t conditioned Iran for success at this tournament.
After drawing their opening two games at this edition, they now have three wins in 20 matches at the World Cup and have failed to score in nine of those (45%).
And despite currently sitting second in Group G, Iran rank bottom among the four teams for shots (24), shots on target (7) and expected goals (2.1). Meanwhile, they have also faced the most shots (37) and the most shots on target (15).
Iran have never gone beyond the first round in six previous World Cup participations, and for many of their current crop, this could be a final opportunity to make history.
In their goalless draw with Belgium on Matchday 2, they named the oldest starting XI in World Cup history, with an average age of 32 years and 181 days. They were also the first side to name three players aged 36 and above in a lineup – Shojae Khalilzadeh (37), Ramin Rezaeian (36) and Ehsan Hajsafi (36).
Egypt vs Iran Head-to-Head
Egypt and Iran are meeting at the World Cup for the first time. Their only previous encounter came in a June 2000 LG Cup match in Tehran – the game ended 1-1, with Egypt winning 8-7 on penalties.
The game saw current Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan open the scoring while Iran’s all-time top scorer, Ali Daei, equalised.
Iran are unbeaten against African opposition at the World Cup – they beat Morocco in 2018 (1-0) and drew against Angola in 2006 (1-1) and Nigeria in 2014 (0-0).
Egypt vs Iran Prediction
The Opta supercomputer envisages a tight game here, but one in which Egypt are slight favourites. They recorded the necessary win to confirm themselves as group winners in 42.9% of simulations.
The next most likely result is a draw, at 32.2%, while an Iran win occurred in 24.9% of sims.
Egypt vs Iran Squads
Egypt: Mohamed El Shenawy, El Mahdy Soliman, Mostafa Shobeir, Mohamed Alaa, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ahmed Fatouh, Karim Hafez, Tarek Alaa, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Zico, Hamdi Fathy, Mohanad Lasheen, Nabil Emad Dunga, Marwan Attia, Mahmoud Saber, Trezeguet, Hamza Abdelkarim, Mohamed Salah, Haissem Hassan, Ibrahim Adel, Omar Marmoush, Zizo.
Iran: Alireza Beiranvand, Payam Niazmand, Hossein Hosseini, Saleh Hardani, Ehsan Hajisafi, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Hossein Kanani, Arya Yousefi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian, Danial Eiri, Saeid Ezatolahi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebbi, Saman Ghoddos, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Mehdi Torabi, Mohammad Ghorbani, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Taremi, Mehdi Ghayedi, Ali Alipour, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Shahriyar Moghanloo, Dennis Dargahi.
Egypt vs Iran Predicted Lineups
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