Placed in a tough Group I, France, Senegal and Norway will have to bring their A-game to the FIFA World Cup. Belgium (G), Spain and Uruguay (H) have a relatively easier start to the campaign.Group G (Belgium, Iran, Egypt and New Zealand)Belgium’s golden generation finished third in 2018. In 2026, that gold has lost its sheen.The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Witsel are still around, but the famed backline comprising Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen no longer exists.Coach Rudi Garcia will thus be pinning his hopes on his attack, which also has the speedy Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku.There are, however, doubts over Lukaku’s preparedness, with Belgium’s all-time top-scorer (90 goals) playing just an hour of football all season for Napoli.But the strength of the group is such that Belgium is the favourite. Iran, at No. 21, and Egypt, at No. 29, are both not up to scratch.Iran has featured in each of the last three World Cups, but has exited in the group stage. Currently, the country is in the middle of a military stand-off with the United States, something that seriously threatened its participation.And because of safety concerns, Iran will be based in Mexico, and travel long distances to Los Angeles and Seattle to play. Supreme tenacity will be the need of the hour.Egypt, at least on paper, seems slightly better because it has Mohamed Salah. The world stage is one place where he is yet to excel, having played just two games in Egypt’s group-stage exit in the 2018 showpiece.The 33-year-old will also be eager to reiterate his footballing worth after a not-so-pleasant exit from Liverpool.Surprisingly, Egypt, a seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champion, has never won a match at the World Cup. Will the largely turgid football it plays, with the only goal-scoring route through Salah, help break the duck?There is a chance that this approach may work against New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side at the tournament (No. 85). For that, Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, scorer of 45 goals for the Kiwis, should be shut down.Interestingly, the New Zealand football team is called ‘All Whites’, contrary to the unofficial national colour black. White is about peace. But sport is war minus the shooting.Best finish: Belgium: Third place (2018); Iran: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022); Egypt: Group stage (1934, 1990, 2018); New Zealand: Group stage (1982, 2010).