Romelu Lukaku played a pivotal role as Belgium salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw against Egypt during their World Cup opener on October 10, 2023, in Seattle. Overcoming fitness concerns, Lukaku was substituted in at the 66th minute and quickly contributed to the equalizer when Mohamed Hany inadvertently scored an own goal shortly after his introduction.

Egypt had initially taken the lead in the 20th minute with a powerful strike from Emam Ashour, who found the net from the edge of the box, providing his team hope for a historic win at the World Cup finals. For much of the first half, Belgium struggled to create opportunities, failing to register a shot on target while Mostafa Ziko threatened with a fine effort that required a strong save from Thibaut Courtois.

The second half saw Belgium increase their intensity. They came close to equalizing when Kevin De Bruyne hit the post with a free-kick after a foul on Jeremy Doku. Egypt's Ashour missed a chance to extend their lead before Belgium's Youri Tielemans narrowly missed from their first corner of the match.

Lukaku's impact was immediate as he pressured Hany, leading to the equalizer. The match remained competitive, with both teams seeking a winner. Brandon Mechele had a shot tipped away by Mostafa Shobeir, while Hamza Abdelkarim nearly connected with Karim Hafez’s cross for Egypt.

After the match, Abdelkarim reflected, "It was a good game for the whole team... we gave it our all." He acknowledged Belgium's quality but emphasized the need for Egypt to focus on securing three points in future matches.