Lukaku on bench for Belgium, Shobeir in goal for Egypt

Egypt are captained by Mo Salah on his 34th birthday

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku with teammates during training. Reuters

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku starts on the bench for Monday's World Cup Group G opener against Egypt after an injury-hit season for Italian side Napoli.

• Lukaku is Belgium's record goalscorer, but did not start a game for Napoli in 2025-26

• Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne start for Belgium in their fourth World Cup campaign

• Egypt, seeking their first World Cup finals win in their fourth appearance, are captained by Mo Salah on his 34th birthday

• Coach Hossam Hassan starts Mostafa Shobeir in goal

Lineups:

Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Thomas Meunier, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Timothy Castagne; Youri Tielemans, Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana; Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku

Egypt: Mostafa Shobeir; Mohamed Hany, Hamdi Fathi, Yasser Ibrahim, Ahmed Fattouh; Mohannad Lasheen, Marwan Attia; Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Abdel Raouf "Zico", Emam Ashour; Omar Marmoush