When Belgium meet Egypt in the opening Group G fixture of the 2026 World Cup on Monday night, it won't just be two nations kicking off their tournament. It'll be Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah facing each other for what's likely the final time - two of the players who defined the Manchester City–Liverpool rivalry of the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Both will be 34 on the day. In fact, it's Salah's birthday. Neither is impossible to imagine at another World Cup, but realistically this is the last chapter.
The Chelsea castoffs who took over the Premier League
Here's the part that still feels strange. Both men were signed by Chelsea in January windows two years apart and barely played - De Bruyne managed nine appearances, Salah just 19. Both were loaned out, then sold to clubs in the same countries (Wolfsburg and Roma respectively) before exploding in their second seasons abroad.
City and Liverpool came calling, and the medals followed. Salah picked up four Premier League golden boots; De Bruyne matched that with four assist crowns. Salah set the record for goals in a 38-game season (32 in 2017/18) until Erling Haaland beat it, and De Bruyne equalled Thierry Henry's 20 assists in a season (2019/20) before Bruno Fernandes claimed it outright last campaign.
The head-to-head record might surprise you
Monday will be the 20th meeting between the two. Despite City's heavier trophy haul over the years, it's Salah who leads the personal duel - he's come out on top in 10 of the previous 19 fixtures, with De Bruyne winning just five.
Only one of those was an international, and it went Egypt's way: a 2-1 win in a World Cup warm-up four years ago. So if you're looking at this as a personal scoreline, Salah's ahead.
What's realistically on the table for each side
De Bruyne himself said back in 2022 that Belgium were "too old" to win the World Cup. The squad has fresher faces now - Jeremy Doku among them - but it isn't the golden generation of 2018.
Egypt's ambitions are more modest in scale but loaded with history. The seven-time AFCON winners have only escaped the group stage once, way back in 1934. Matching a Round of 16 finish would be a serious achievement, especially with the expanded format meaning an extra game to get there.
A rivalry without the bad blood
What makes this one easy to enjoy is the complete absence of needle. These two have only ever praised each other. When De Bruyne left City in 2025, Salah told Gary Neville: "I want to tell him congratulations for your career. He's done a phenomenal job at City, and he was great for the league."
De Bruyne returned the compliment: "I think he's unbelievable. Nobody expected it. To score that many goals." It's a long way from Keane and Vieira squaring up in the tunnel.
Neither is the player he once was. De Bruyne has battled injuries and Salah just posted his worst goal return in a decade. But both can still produce moments - Salah only recently broke the record for most Premier League goal involvements at a single club.
For bettors, a Group G opener between two unfancied sides at a World Cup is the kind of fixture where prices can move plenty before kick-off, so it's worth seeing how the markets settle once line-ups are confirmed.
Sources:
If this changes where you play, the community keeps its thread on UK casino sites up to date.
Both will be 34 on the day. In fact, it's Salah's birthday. Neither is impossible to imagine at another World Cup, but realistically this is the last chapter.
The Chelsea castoffs who took over the Premier League
Here's the part that still feels strange. Both men were signed by Chelsea in January windows two years apart and barely played - De Bruyne managed nine appearances, Salah just 19. Both were loaned out, then sold to clubs in the same countries (Wolfsburg and Roma respectively) before exploding in their second seasons abroad.
City and Liverpool came calling, and the medals followed. Salah picked up four Premier League golden boots; De Bruyne matched that with four assist crowns. Salah set the record for goals in a 38-game season (32 in 2017/18) until Erling Haaland beat it, and De Bruyne equalled Thierry Henry's 20 assists in a season (2019/20) before Bruno Fernandes claimed it outright last campaign.
The head-to-head record might surprise you
Monday will be the 20th meeting between the two. Despite City's heavier trophy haul over the years, it's Salah who leads the personal duel - he's come out on top in 10 of the previous 19 fixtures, with De Bruyne winning just five.
Only one of those was an international, and it went Egypt's way: a 2-1 win in a World Cup warm-up four years ago. So if you're looking at this as a personal scoreline, Salah's ahead.
What's realistically on the table for each side
De Bruyne himself said back in 2022 that Belgium were "too old" to win the World Cup. The squad has fresher faces now - Jeremy Doku among them - but it isn't the golden generation of 2018.
Egypt's ambitions are more modest in scale but loaded with history. The seven-time AFCON winners have only escaped the group stage once, way back in 1934. Matching a Round of 16 finish would be a serious achievement, especially with the expanded format meaning an extra game to get there.
A rivalry without the bad blood
What makes this one easy to enjoy is the complete absence of needle. These two have only ever praised each other. When De Bruyne left City in 2025, Salah told Gary Neville: "I want to tell him congratulations for your career. He's done a phenomenal job at City, and he was great for the league."
De Bruyne returned the compliment: "I think he's unbelievable. Nobody expected it. To score that many goals." It's a long way from Keane and Vieira squaring up in the tunnel.
Neither is the player he once was. De Bruyne has battled injuries and Salah just posted his worst goal return in a decade. But both can still produce moments - Salah only recently broke the record for most Premier League goal involvements at a single club.
For bettors, a Group G opener between two unfancied sides at a World Cup is the kind of fixture where prices can move plenty before kick-off, so it's worth seeing how the markets settle once line-ups are confirmed.
Sources:
If this changes where you play, the community keeps its thread on UK casino sites up to date.