Emam Ashour shows Egypt’s next generation is arriving at 2026 World Cup

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said a new generation of players would reveal themselves in the national team’s return to the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

It only took 20 minutes for that to happen in the country’s Group G opener against Belgium on Monday.

Emam Ashour seemed to have a magnet pull on the ball as he maneuvered on the wing for Egypt in his debut World Cup match. He connected with a pass from team captain Mohamed Salah and, unexpectedly, sliced a right-foot shot from 20 yards past Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois for the match’s opening goal.

Teammates shoved him to the Lumen Field grass and dogpiled Ashour in celebration. The goal in the 20^th minute was his first on the international level.

“It was amazing,” Omar Marmoush said of his teammate, as translated from Arabic. “Congratulations for him, for the goal, for winning the man of the match. Emam is a big, big, quality player.”

Ashour, who stars for Egyptian club Al Ahly, also had three defensive contributions in the opening half that helped the Pharaohs take a 1-0 lead into the break. Despite Belgium being regarded as the favorite in the match, the Red Devils didn’t have a shot on target until the 62^nd minute.

But it didn’t hold. Belgium attacker Romelu Lukaku split defenders Mohamed Hany and Yasser Ibrahim deep in the box to stretch for the ball that grazed Hany to land in the back of the net. The equalizer in the 67^th minute was seconds after Lukaku subbed into the match.

Egypt finished in a 1-1 draw with Belgium.

“We could’ve won because the team was demoralized after the opening goal,” reserve keeper El Mahdi Soliman said. “A draw is a decent result. We were hoping to win, but a draw is good for our group opener against a powerhouse like Belgium.”

Egypt keeper Mostafa Shobeir, who earned his 11^th cap with the national team, was another player that materialized Hassan’s prediction of another era on the field.

The son of famed Egyptian keeper Ahmed, who was in goal for the country’s 1990 World Cup appearance, stretched for a save in the 84^th minute that helped preserve the draw.

Belgium earned free kick just outside the corner of the box and star forward Kevin De Bruyne’s initial attempt was slapped away by Shobeir. The Red Devils regain control of the ball and sent it back into the box.

Defender Brandon Mechele aimed a header from the left side of the box to the far post, but Shobeir shuffled to bat that attempt off the mark, too. It was his only recorded save in his World Cup debut.

“Mustafa played a great game and put in a tremendous effort and he gave it his all on the field,” Marmoush said. “I salute all the players who took part and even those who aren’t here — we’re all united as one and, God willing, we’ll bring joy to our people.”

Shobeir was humble in being one of his team’s standout players in the match and the praise he heard from the Seattle Stadium crowd drenched in red, making it feel like an Al Ahly match in Cairo.

Egypt did miss multiple chances at a go-ahead goal. The Pharaohs continue Group G play against New Zealand on June 21 in Vancouver. Belgium will play Iran on June 21 at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

“Every player performed with dignity and class,” Soliman said. “We went into today’s game determined to win and put on a good show. Praise be to God and we thank all the fans who came to support us and helped us during the match.”