Belgium and Egypt will be the favourites to make it out of Group G and then potentially go far at the World Cup.BELGIUMThe last time a World Cup was played in Mexico, Belgium were one of the stories of the competition. Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was part of the great 1986 squad — which included Enzo Scifo, Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Eric Gerets, Nico Claesen and Frank Vercauteren — that bowed out in the semifinals to Diego Maradona’s Argentina.Modern Belgium combinations have been as star-studded from a small football country with a reputation for nurturing and producing talent. The 2026 team will not play any of their group matches in Mexico, with two in the US and one in Canada.The Red Devils have rebuilt well, as many of the golden generation that finished third at Russia 2018 — such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Vermaelen — have retired or been sidelined. Emerging stars such as Manchester City forward Jérémy Doku, Aston Villa defensive midfielder Amadou Onana and Juventus striker Loïs Openda have taken up the baton.Veteran Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be an older head. Indefatigable former City superstar Kevin de Bruyne, 34, now at Napoli, remains Belgium’s Energiser Bunny midfield stalwart and source of inspiration with 117 caps and 34 goals.After their group exit in Qatar in 2022 resulted in Roberto Martínez’s immediate resignation as coach, Italian Domenico Tedesco had middling success. Frenchman Rudi Garcia, appointed in January 2025, has blended old and new and steered Belgium to the World Cup as unbeaten winners of Group J. Fifa’s ninth-ranked team is a dark horse again for this tournament.FIFA Ranking: 9Best World Cup finishes: Third (2018)World Cup appearances: 15EGYPTWhile Egypt have dominated African football at national (seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winners) and club (Al Ahly have a record 12 Caf Champions League titles, Zamalek are joint-second with five) levels, the World Cup has been an elusive battleground.They have just three previous qualifications (1934, 1990 and 2018) and have not passed the group stage. They lost all three games in their last appearance in Russia, despite boasting one of the world’s best forwards in Mohamed Salah. After the success of North African rivals Morocco becoming Africa’s first semifinalists in 2022, the Pharaohs’ combination coached by legendary former striker Hossam Hassan will be out to atone in North America. Yet the squad still relies on a number of their old guard. These include 33-year-old Salah, who bade an emotional farewell to Liverpool on Sunday; Manchester City’s 27-year-old striker Omar Marmoush; Al Ahly’s 30-year-old forward Trezeguet; and Ahly’s legendary 36-year-old goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Nice centreback Mohamed Abdelmonem, 25, is among the younger generation.Having underachieved even in the Afcon lately, which Egypt have failed to win since 2010, this Pharaohs generation has plenty of motivation to bow out with a stronger performance in North America.FIFA Ranking: 29Best World Cup finishes: Last 16 (1934) – only 16 teams competedWorld Cup appearances: 3IRANIran travel to matches in the US in a tricky situation, their team competing on the soil of a country at war with the Middle East nation.As a Gulf powerhouse, Iran has qualified for a decent number of World Cups. Once there, they battle to make the step up — they exited in the group stage in all their appearances in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022, with an unenviable record of three wins, four draws and 11 defeats in 18 matches.They will be led by 62-year-old Amir Ghalenoei, who has plenty of experience in his country’s football with five Persian Gulf Pro League titles, though the last of these was with Esteghlal back in 2012-13. In a previous stint, he led Iran to the 2007 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals. Taking the job again in March 2023, he steered “Team Melli” to the World Cup, topping six-team Group A — which included Uzbekistan, UAE and Qatar — with seven wins and two draws in 10 games.Star players include veteran forward Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos), midfielder Saman Ghoddos (Kalba) and experienced goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor). A ranking of 21 might be misleadingly high, but it also suggests Iran could put up a fight.FIFA Ranking: 21Best World Cup finishes: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)World Cup appearances: 6NEW ZEALANDOf course the island nation is better known for rugby’s All Blacks, but South Africans know New Zealand can produce some handy footballers, as some have competed strongly in the Premier Soccer League.The All Whites have been to two World Cups, in 1982 and 2010, and there was a notable progression in performance. New Zealand lost all three games in Spain, bleeding 12 goals. In South Africa, they drew all three, including 1-1 against Italy.Coach Darren Bazeley will hope that upward trend continues this year. Star players include Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who has 45 international goals; 36-year-old centreback Tommy Smith of English fifth-tier outfit Braintree Town; and 37-year-old former SuperSport United defender Michael Boxall, now at MLS’s Minnesota United.FIFA Ranking: 85Best World Cup finishes: Group stage (1982, 2010)World Cup appearances: 2• Sowetan, TimesLIVE, The Herald, Daily Dispatch and Business Day online are profiling two 2026 WORLD CUP GROUPS every Tuesday until the tournament’s June 11 kick-off. Also catch the STAR PLAYER profile every Friday.