Belgium starts its World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Egypt, failing to build on its veteran “Golden Generation” experience. The match comes as Belgium looks to avoid an early tournament exit like the one it experienced in 2022. Belgium’s forward Romelu Lukaku, part of the team’s senior core, comes off the bench in the 66th minute against Egypt and immediately makes an impact by helping create a scoring chance. That chance leads to an equalizing own goal, giving Belgium parity. Despite the momentum from Lukaku’s introduction and the moment that produces the equalizer, Belgium does not add another goal and the game finishes 1-1. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia says the World Cup does not offer easy matches, reflecting on the difficulty of securing results at the tournament stage. The draw leaves Belgium with work to do in subsequent fixtures to improve its performances and results after a modest start.