Belgium vs. Egypt: Why Mohamed Salah's international legacy is untouchable ahead of World Cup 2026 Group G opener

Mohamed Salah is set to lead Egypt out at the 2026 World Cup on Monday, when his side take on Belgium at Seattle Stadium in a highly-anticipated Group G clash.

Monday will also be the attacker's 34th birthday, and he will hope that the injury issues he experienced towards the end of 2025-26 have fully subsided.

The 2026 World Cup will be the second time that the Egyptian has led his nation out on the global stage, and while that is a remarkable achievement, his international legacy has still been questioned by some.

Salah has not yet led Egypt to an AFCON triumph, and controversial pundits have suggested that that is a stain on his career.

Such claims are wide of the mark, and ahead of Egypt's World Cup opener, Sports Mole explains why Salah's international legacy is untouchable despite what his detractors have argued.

Mohamed Salah and Egypt: A success story

Pundit Jamie Carragher infamously discredited the achievements of Salah with Egypt when labelling the 33-year-old a "disgrace" in December 2025.

However, the Englishman's remarks were incredibly dismissive of the winger's impact for the national team, and they ignored important context behind his legacy.

Egypt may be the most successful team in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, but they failed to qualify for the 2012, 2013 and 2015 editions of the tournament.

Salah made his debut for the national team in 2011 at the age 18, though he was hardly expected to lead his country from the abyss on the international stage while still being a teenager.

As the forward aged and improved into the player the world knows today, he helped the Pharaohs qualify for the 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025 editions of AFCON.

Salah is the only player to have scored against 11 different teams in the history of the competition, and he currently ranks as the all-time top scorer in the history of the African World Cup qualifiers (20).

The legendary forward has also guided the nation to two World Cup finals, and though Egypt lost all three group games at the 2018 edition, it should be noted that Salah was dealing with injury issues at the time.

Prior to Salah's arrival on the international scene, the Pharaohs had only played at two World Cups, with their country last participating at the 1990 tournament in Italy.

Egypt have beaten Belgium three times in four meetings, and a win would represent their first ever at the World Cup, so Monday is another opportunity for Salah to cement himself in the Egyptian history books.

Mo Salah at the World Cup: A unifying figure for Egypt

Mohamed Salah has become one of the most inspirational figures in Egypt, transcending football stardom in part because he was the shining light for the country in a period of instability.

Political unrest was rife in the nation for a number of years, especially in the 2000s and early 2010s, with mass demonstrations against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak taking place.

The Port Said Stadium riot of February 2012 was a hugely demoralising incident, with 74 people killed after an Egyptian Premier League football match between Al Masry and Al Ahly.

That disaster had significant ramifications on the future of football in the country as the domestic league was shutdown for two years.

Then media director of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Azmi Megahed warned that the cessation of the top flight threatened the future of the national team, and it was no surprise that performances dipped on the international stage.

Salah was the figure responsible for dragging the team back from the brink, scoring 67 times for the Pharaohs in 116 games, and he only needs to score two more goals to become the joint leading scorer in the country's history.

His teammates have not always matched his elite level, but he has still been able to drag his country over the line, most notably netting a 95th-minute penalty to beat Congo 2-1 in October 2017 to secure his side's place at the 2018 World Cup.

Though some might disparage Salah's lack of silverware with the Pharaohs, he has overcome unprecedented hurdles and challenges, and his Egypt legacy will remain untouchable regardless of the result against Belgium on Monday.