Group G · Matchday 1

BelgiumvsEgypt

2026-06-15·12:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 15 Jun, 16:20 UTCBelgium·Egypt·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedBelgium 1 1 EgyptThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Belgium win
    57.1%
  • Draw
    25.8%
  • Egypt win
    17.1%

A clash of identities: Belgium's balanced approach meets Egypt's pragmatic style in a fixture the model gives to Belgium at 64%.

Rank checkFIFA ranks Egypt #34 in the world; the model ranks them #22 in this tournament field, 12 places higher than the FIFA list suggests. All 48 compared →
Likeliest score1–016.6%
First goal0-15'29.7%
Both teams score38.3%
Over 2.5 goals35.5%
Top scorerSalah13.7%
Expected goals1.4 - 0.7
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring Belgium

  • ·Elo advantage of 178 points over Egypt
  • ·Expected goals 1.53 vs 0.74

Favoring Egypt

  • ·H2H record: 3W-0D-1L in 4 meetings

What the model can't fully price

  • ·Squad availability: 6 carrying a fitness doubt across the two squads, 2 of them projected starters. The forecast does not adjust for who is missing: its lineup channel currently contributes zero, so this is context the probabilities do not include.

Form check

Belgium

Steady

Belgium: 3W-3D-0L in their last 6 internationals.

3W-3D-0L in last 6

Egypt

Steady

Egypt: 3W-2D-1L in their last 6 internationals.

3W-2D-1L in last 6

Analysis

How it plays out

Neither side has a rigid tactical identity. Both adapt to the opponent, so the first 15 minutes will reveal who imposes their plan first.

What decides it

Egypt adjust shape to the opponent. That flexibility is an asset, but it takes longer to settle into a game. Mohamed Salah's 13.7% scoring probability is the highest in this fixture. Containing that output is Belgium's primary defensive task.

Off the pitch

No major off-pitch asymmetries. This one is decided by the football.

The angle

Likely the last World Cup for Axel Witsel. Tournament experience at this level is hard to quantify but hard to replace.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 1–0 (16.6%) · xG 1.4 - 0.7

Expected goals

Belgium
1.44
Egypt
0.68

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–0
    16.6%
  • 0–0
    12.8%
  • 1–1
    12.5%
  • 2–0
    12.4%
  • 2–1
    8.5%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    35.2%
  • 1–0
    24.4%
  • 0–1
    11.3%
  • 1–1
    9.0%
  • 2–0
    8.9%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    87.2%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    63.2%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    35.5%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    16.4%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    6.4%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    2.1%
  • Both teams score
    38.3%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Belgium clean sheetOpposing team scores zero50.6%
  • Egypt clean sheetOpposing team scores zero23.8%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Belgium by 4+
    3.5%
  • Belgium by 3+
    11.1%
  • Belgium by 2+
    28.1%
  • Belgium by 1+
    54.6%
  • Draw
    28.5%
  • Egypt by 1+
    17.0%
  • Egypt by 2+
    4.8%
  • Egypt by 3+
    0.9%
  • Egypt by 4+
    0.1%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 35.5% · BTTS 38.3%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Belgium ahead55.3%
  • Level27.0%
  • Egypt ahead17.7%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    29.7%
  • 15–30
    20.9%
  • 30–45
    14.7%
  • 45–60
    10.3%
  • 60–75
    7.2%
  • 75–90
    5.1%
  • No goal
    12.0%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HBelgium winDDrawAEgypt win
HBelgium ahead35.4%3.9%0.7%
DLevel18.1%19.6%7.0%
AEgypt ahead1.7%3.8%9.8%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Belgium trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    5.5%
  • Egypt trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.6%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Salah (13.7%)

Match detail

Belgium

Model-rated key players: Kevin De Bruyne (MF) — P(scores) 6.6%; Loïs Openda (FW) — P(scores) 2.9%; Leandro Trossard (FW) — P(scores) 1.8%.

How they play

Belgium under Rudi Garcia play a balanced game, holding 54% of the ball — among the highest in the tournament field. Their likely shape is a other, though they have also used 4-2-3-1. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 23.1) and build patiently through midfield with 7.7 passes per attacking sequence.

What they must execute

Belgium will need to leverage their strengths while managing the physical demands of a tournament spread across three host countries. Managing minutes for Axel Witsel across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Strong in goal: Thibaut Courtois#2 starting-GK rating in the field — 0.99 on club-derived save metrics across 48 teams.
Last dance: Axel Witsel37 at kickoff with 136 caps — probably his final World Cup.
Touchline: Rudi GarciaFirst World Cup as head coach, appointed 2025.

Egypt

Model-rated key players: Mohamed Salah (FW) — P(scores) 13.7%; Omar Marmoush (FW) — P(scores) 7.4%; Trézéguet (FW) — P(scores) 5.0%.

How they play

Egypt under Hossam Hassan play a pragmatic game with 51% possession. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 21.8). They generate a high volume of shots (13.7 per 90).

What they must execute

Egypt play a pragmatic, results-oriented game that adapts shape to the opposition. Tactical flexibility is their strength. The risk is inconsistency — without a default identity, a poor result can cascade if the team struggles to find a Plan B. Managing the fitness of Mohamed Salah could prove decisive — their availability transforms the team's ceiling.

Storylines
Out injured: Mohamed SalahThigh problems, no expected return. Composite 0.96 — would have been a likely starter.
Club core: 5 of 23 predicted-squad players play their club football for Al Ahly — a single-club spine on the international side.
Teen starter: wp-hamza-abdelkarim-2008-01-0118 at kickoff — 0 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.
Set-piece outlook

Belgium historically converts 14.6% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.21 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Egypt converts 17.3% from set-pieces (0.12 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.33 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(Belgium scores set-piece goal) 18.9%
  • P(Egypt scores set-piece goal) 11.1%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 28.0%

Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne on corners (25 corners), Axel Witsel on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)

Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Belgium, the model gives 71.4% conversion, 75.0% for Egypt.

Belgium primary PK: Kevin De Bruyne (2/3 in 2020-21, per fbref 2022 23) · Egypt primary PK: Mohamed Salah (5/6 in 2021-22, per fbref 2021 22).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

Belgiumbalanced
PPDA
23.1
Possession
54%
Directness (yds/pass)
5.0
Long balls/90
32
Set-piece xG
15%
Egyptpragmatic
PPDA
21.8
Possession
51%
Directness (yds/pass)
6.0
Long balls/90
33
Set-piece xG
17%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Belgium

  1. Youri TielemansCentral midfieldNo natural backup0.41gap
  2. Romelu LukakuStrikerNo natural backup0.37gap
  3. Zeno DebastCentre-backCover: Brandon Mechele · 0.560.32gap

Egypt

  1. Omar MarmoushStrikerNo natural backup0.69gap
  2. Mohamed SalahWingerCover: Ibrahim Adel · 0.390.35gap
  3. Emam AshourCentral midfieldCover: Mahmoud Saber · 0.130.26gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

  • AltitudeNear sea level16 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window18.0 °C
  • Avg humidity68%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~19.6 °CLow heat stress
  • Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf

Artificial-turf NFL stadium laying a temporary natural-grass pitch for the tournament.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Afternoon kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

Belgium
Egypt

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Belgium

vs Senegal · avg 8.0

8
Thibaut CourtoisGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Romelu LukakuST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Dodi LukébakioRW
ATK
DEF
PAS

Egypt

vs Australia · avg 6.1

8
Emam AshourAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Mostafa ShobeirGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Ramy RabiaCB
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Omar MarmoushST
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Hossam AbdelmaguidCB
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Hamdy FathyCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Karim HafezLB
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Marwan AttiaCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Mahmoud SaberCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Mohamed ToureST
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
TrezeguetLW
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Yasser IbrahimCB
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Haissem HassanCB
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
Mohamed HanyRB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Belgium
8
Thibaut Courtois

Made several important saves throughout the match, preventing Egypt from extending their lead.

8
Romelu Lukaku

Made an immediate and decisive impact by scoring the equalizing goal shortly after his introduction.

7
Youri Tielemans

Was a persistent offensive presence, registering multiple shots on target and actively trying to break down the defense.

7
Jérémy Doku

Was a constant offensive threat with his dribbling and movement, drawing fouls and creating chances, though his shots were consistently blocked.

7
Kevin De Bruyne

Showed flashes of his creative genius, hitting the post and forcing saves from free kicks, but couldn't convert his chances.

7
Thomas Meunier

Was very active in Belgium's attack from his wide position, registering multiple shots on target.

6
Nathan Ngoy12'–12'

Was involved in an early foul but had no other specific actions mentioned, suggesting an average, quiet performance.

1fouls won

Match timeline

12'Marawan Attia (Egypt #19) receives a yellow card for a foul on Nathan Ngov (Belgium #25).
6
Charles De Ketelaere

Registered a header on target but was substituted before Belgium's equalizer, indicating a limited overall impact.

6
Nicolas Raskin

Came on as a substitute but had no specific actions mentioned in the match events.

6
Leandro Trossard

Came on as a substitute and had one shot blocked, but no other significant contributions.

5
Timothy Castagne13'–13'

Picked up an early yellow card and was substituted before the hour mark, limiting his overall impact.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

13'Timothy Castagne (Belgium #21) receives a yellow card for a foul on Mohamed Salah (Egypt #10).
13'Timothy Castagne (Belgium #21) receives a yellow card for a foul on Mohamed Salah (Egypt #10).
4
Maxim De Cuyper

Came on as a substitute and immediately received a yellow card for a foul, negatively impacting his performance.

Egypt
9
Mostafa Shoubir

Delivered an outstanding goalkeeping display, making numerous crucial saves to keep Egypt in the lead and secure the draw.

8
Emam Ashour19'–19'

Scored Egypt's opening goal with an impressive long-range strike, showcasing his offensive quality.

1goals

Match timeline

19'Emam Ashour (Egypt #8) scores with a powerful strike from outside the box.
6
Mostafa Zico

Contributed offensively with a shot on target and drew a yellow card for an opponent before being substituted.

6
Omar Marmoush

Was active in attack, registering several shots on target, but was consistently denied by the opposing goalkeeper.

6
Ramy Rabia

Came on as a substitute and had one shot wide, but no other significant contributions.

6
Hamza Abdelkarim

Came on as a substitute but had no specific actions mentioned in the match events.

6
Mostafa Zizo

Came on as a late substitute but had no specific actions mentioned in the match events.

5
Mohamed Salah13'–13'

Despite his reputation, he had a very quiet game with no direct attacking contributions before being substituted.

1fouls won

Match timeline

13'Timothy Castagne (Belgium #21) receives a yellow card for a foul on Mohamed Salah (Egypt #10).
4
Ahmed Fatouh

Received an early yellow card for a foul and had no other notable positive contributions.

Match observations

  • The match was a competitive encounter, ending in a 1-1 draw with both teams finding the net.
  • Egypt took the lead in the first half with a well-placed shot, while Belgium equalized in the second half shortly after a key substitution.
  • Both sides had numerous attempts at goal, with goalkeepers on both ends making significant saves to keep the score level.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

Belgium vs Egypt

Moderate (6.9%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
61.7%
22.0%
16.3%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
54.8%
28.0%
17.2%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
58.0%
25.9%
16.1%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
62.0%
27.5%
10.5%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
63.6%
25.8%
10.6%
Home spread: 6.9%
Draw spread: 6.0%
Away spread: 1.1%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(Belgium win)57.1%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(Belgium win)57.1%
Belgium
57.1%
Draw
25.8%
Egypt
17.1%

Decomposition of the published P(Belgium win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
15 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNSeattle11D
18 Nov 2022FriendlyNKuwait City12L
6 Jun 2018FriendlyHBrussels30W
9 Feb 2005FriendlyACairo04L
30 Mar 1999FriendlyHLiège01L

Belgium vs Egypt, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Belgium's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Match conditions
Stage:
Group G · Matchday 1
Date:
15 Jun
Availability

Belgium

Belgium come in at close to full strength.

Egypt

Egypt come in at close to full strength.

What it means

Belgium and Egypt both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

Standard Pass

This match is a free preview

You're seeing the model's full forecast for this fixture for free. Unlock the same depth: probabilities, expected goals, scoreline distributions, and per-player scoring, for all 104 matches with a Standard Pass, valid through the tournament.

Get the Pass, $15

Every forecast graded against the real result, scored on 987 matches since 2014. See the scorecard.

24h money-back, no questions asked·No subscription, no auto-renewal·Access through 31 Dec 2026. See refund policy.