Belgium and its 'Golden Generation' veterans get off to unimpressive start in World Cup

SEATTLE (AP) — Seeking to avoid a repeat of its early World Cup exit in 2022, Belgium got off to an unimpressive start.

Romelu Lukaku entered in the 66th minute against Egypt on Monday and the veteran striker immediately created a scoring chance that led to an equalizing own goal, but that was all Belgium could manage in a 1-1 draw.

“No game’s an easy game in the World Cup,” coach Rudi Garcia said in French.

Perhaps not, but Belgium was expected to handle an Egypt squad that has never won a World Cup game. Instead, the Red Devils were outmaneuvered in the first half, with the speed of Egypt's younger players making the Pharaohs the aggressors.

“We know that we had a bad start in the match,” captain Youri Tielemans said.

Now the question becomes whether Belgium can make one last World Cup run with the remaining veterans from its “Golden Generation” of stars — including the 33-year-old Lukaku and two 34-year-olds in midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium held the top spot in the FIFA rankings for several years and had its best World Cup performance when it finished third in Russia in 2018.

But the team fizzled four years later in Qatar, entering with championship hopes but failing to advance to the knockout round.

Since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992, Belgium and the Netherlands are the only teams without a World Cup title to hold the top spot.

The Red Devils entered this year's World Cup ranked 10th, by far the best in Group G, which also includes Iran (25th), Egypt (29th) and New Zealand (79th).

Lukaku, Belgium's career goals leader, is recovering from a hamstring injury. Belgium tied the game less than a minute after he entered as a substitute.

“He’s a target man,” Tielemans said. “He needs to build up his fitness, which is understandable after being out for the season. But he helps us in this way.”

De Bruyne was replaced by Hans Vanaken in the 85th minute.

With 32 teams making the knockout round in this expanded World Cup, it's easier than ever to advance, but Belgium has less room for error as it prepares to face Iran on Sunday in Inglewood, California.

“We have to win against Iran, there’s no two ways around it,” Garcia said.

Connor Joyce is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (1) lets the ball slip past for a goal during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, punches a shot clear during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Egypt's Mohamed Hany (3) scores an own goal past Belgium's Romelu Lukaku (9) and Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir (23) during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

Egypt's Yasser Ibrahim, left, runs after a loose ball chased by Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku (9) celebrates after Egypt's Mohamed Hany (3) scored an own goal goal during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Maddy Grassy)

SPRINGVILLE, Utah (AP) — Paris Hilton returned Monday to the Utah boarding school where she said she was abused as a teenager, the latest stop in her yearslong campaign calling for reforms to what is commonly known as the troubled teen industry.

This time Hilton was speaking in support of two families who filed lawsuits Monday alleging that their children were mistreated at Provo Canyon School, the same facility where Hilton spent almost a year in the late 1990s. The hotel heiress and media personality alleges staff members beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing.

“I dreamed of becoming strong enough, successful enough and powerful enough to come back and be the hero that I needed when I was a little girl locked inside,” Hilton said. “Today is that day, and I am not backing down.”

The school is now under new ownership, and the administration has said it can’t comment on anything that came before the change, including Hilton’s time there.

Hilton, 45, called on Utah licensors to shut down the school. She has testified about her experiences there in Congress and state legislatures around the U.S., helping pass laws to protect teens in Utah and 15 other states. Utah has long played an outsized role in the troubled teen industry, a network of private, for-profit residential centers for children with behavioral issues.

State health officials imposed temporary restrictions on Provo Canyon School in May, saying the staff did not seek immediate medical care for a student with serious injuries. The restrictions, which include a prohibition on accepting new clients, are set to end Thursday.

Aleah Corona, the mother of the injured student, alleged in Monday's lawsuit that the school did not immediately help the 13-year-old after another resident slammed his head on the ground. The boy ended up with a fractured jaw and a traumatic brain injury, she said. Another family alleged their daughter had severe stomach pain and nausea for more than a week before the school sought proper medical attention. She then experienced kidney failure, their lawsuit alleges.

The school said it could not comment on specific cases due to patient privacy laws.

“At Provo Canyon School, the safety, dignity, and well-being of those entrusted to our care are our highest priorities,” the school said in a statement.

Hilton strutted toward the campus in Springville with her middle fingers raised, telling The Associated Press she refused to be intimidated by a place where she once feared for her life every day.

She warned that parents, like her own, can fall victim to misleading marketing tactics that portray teen facilities as safe.

“These places really just pray on parents who are just looking for help for their children,” Hilton said. “I wasn't a bad kid, I was just sneaking out at night, getting bad grades. I had ADHD, so I wasn't doing well in school, but this was definitely not the place that I should've been sent. My parents had no idea.”

Signage for the Provo Canyon School in Springville, Utah, is pictured Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Paris Hilton calls for a crackdown on the so-called troubled teen industry, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Paris Hilton appears alongside fellow survivors of residential teen treatment facilities, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Paris Hilton, left, stands alongside Aleah Corona, the mother of a student injured at the Provo Canyon School, during a news conference Monday, June 15, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Paris Hilton protests outside the Provo Canyon School, where she says she suffered abuse as a teen, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Springville, Utah. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)