Halftime Observations From Egypt vs IR Iran in Group G Play, June 26th, 2026
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The final group stage matchup held at Seattle Stadium for the 2026 Men’s World Cup pits Egypt, a side that’s already punched its ticket to the Round of 32 for knockout soccer, against Iran, a team that must avoid a loss to guarantee that it will advance past this current stage. This was always going to be a match with controversy, with this being deemed the Pride Match of Seattle’s World Cup matches long before Egypt and Iran were scheduled for this contest, and given the issues Iran has had with travel, considering the country’s current standing with the United States.
On the pitch, it’s been an exciting matchup, with an early goal for Egypt off a mistake before Iran equalized not too long after, and that’s not even mentioning the penalty that Iran couldn’t capitalize on. Here are some basic observations at the halftime mark of Egypt versus Iran in Group G play at Seattle Stadium on June 26th, 2026.
Iran could easily be ahead in this match
Iran, wearing their white kits in this matchup, have had the clear attacking advantage in both the statistics and the eye test. While Egypt had more shots overall, their expected goals total comes out to a measly 0.31, which reflects how little they really threatened through the first 45 minutes of this matchup. Iran has dominated the attack despite fewer total shots.
Iran has just six shots total, three on target, but their expected goals total is 1.18. All of their attempts have come within the Egyptian 18-yard box, forcing two saves from goalkeeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir, while two other attempts missed the goal entirely. Mehdi Taremi drew a penalty in the ninth minute, as Egypt centerback Mohamed Abdelmonem clipped his boot within the box, but the Iran striker had his attempt from the spot denied by Shobeir. Taremi went to his right, and the Egyptian keeper guessed correctly to deny an immediate equalizing opportunity.
Iran kept up their pressure and wouldn’t be denied, scoring just three minutes after Taremi’s penalty attempt. Right wing back Ramin Rezaeian scored from a difficult angle after a great diving save by Shobeir on an initial shot by left wing back Milad Mohammadi. Both goals in this match so far have come from players taking advantage of chaotic moments in the box, but you could easily argue that Iran actually forced their chance as opposed to Egypt being somewhat gifted theirs.
Egypt takes advantage of a mistake
Egypt has struggled to do much with their attack outside of their early goal, which came after they jumped on an Iran mishap. Their goal came as Iran keeper Alireza Beiranvand went out to clear a loose ball in his 18-yard box, but his swiping effort didn’t have enough behind it, leaving the ball in a dangerous area.
With Beiranvand off his line and a scramble in front of the goal, Egypt midfielder Mahmoud Saber capitalized on the chaos, and his shot found its way through the mess to put his team on the board early. Funny enough, it’s Saber who's done the heavy lifting for the Egypt attack with three shots, tied for the lead in this match. Outside of that? Not a lot of cooking here for the Pharaohs.
Besides the Saber score, the other three shots from within the 18-yard box were either blocked (Two of them) or missed the goal entirely. The other attempts have all come outside the box, with two blocked and the other two missing the goal entirely. The only one that hasn’t missed the goal or been blocked was a Trezeguet attempt in the 30th minute that was right at the goalkeeper. Holding on to possession is great and all, but it won’t secure things for Egypt at the top of the group, especially given how Belgium currently looks against New Zealand. The Belgians could very well chase down Egypt’s goal differential number and pass them for the top spot in the group.
I’d like to see Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush subbed on at halftime to help change things for Egypt.
Both nations’ fans making themselves heard
It’s an interesting mixture of Egypt fans, Iran fans, and those who just wanted to attend a World Cup match here in Seattle. Throughout the first half, a very clear “IRAN” chant could be heard repeatedly from the press box, and more fans in the lower bowl seemed to be jumping with excitement when their country equalized in the 14th minute. Couple that with the fact that, at least when we were walking into the stadium around 5:45 PM, there were more Iranian flags on Occidental Ave than Egyptian ones, and you’d think Iran might be the majority here tonight.
That may not be the case, as many around the stadium have said that most fans they’ve seen have been supporting Egypt. Notably, Egypt had a large crowd documented as marching to the match, although such a march wasn’t previously listed like those for the previous three group stage matches at Seattle Stadium. Additionally, there’s plenty of red in the lower bowl, and Egypt is wearing their red kit for tonight’s match.
Regardless, fans of both nations have been very passionate about their squads whenever they make a positive move or have an attacking chance on goal. There had been some worry that attendance might be slight at this match, due to the concern about the pride match, the potential rain in the forecast for tonight, and this not being as high-profile a matchup as we’d seen previously here. That isn’t reality here tonight, as the stadium looks pretty full. It will be interesting to hear what the final announced attendance comes to.
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Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup coverage here.
Check out our previous articles written by Charles Hamaker here.
Check out our previous articles with photos by Bryant Garduque here, and his portfolio here.
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