New Zealand face Belgium in a huge final Group G showdown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
New Zealand will finish as Group G runners-up if they win and Iran lose to Egypt in the other group decider.
Belgium meanwhile have various permutations at play coming into this match, with the first scenario being Group G winners if any of the following scenarios play out;
- They can progress as Group G winners if win by three or more goals and Egypt draw with Iran.
- They will top Group G if defeat New Zealand by a two-goal margin plus Egypt draw with Iran, and they finish above the Pharaohs on any of goals scored, Fair Play Rankings or FIFA World Rankings.
Belgium can also finish runners-up if any of the following scenarios unfold;
- They beat New Zealand but Egypt beat Iran.
- They win against New Zealand by an one-goal margin and Egypt draw against Iran.
- They beat New Zealand by a two-goal margin but Egypt draw with Iran and proceed to top the group on goals scored or Fair Play ranking.
- They defeat New Zealand and Iran beat Egypt, with Iran finishing top on any of overall difference, goals scored or Fair Play ranking
- They draw against New Zealand and Egypt beat Iran.
- They draw with New Zealand and Iran draw against Egypt, which could see them finish above Iran on goals scored or Fair Play ranking, although if both level then Belgium finish as runners-up due to the higher World Ranking over Iran.
Team News
New Zealand have no fresh injury concerns after their 3-1 defeat to Egypt.
Belgium will be without Nathan Ngoy after he was red carded in their 0-0 draw against Iran.
Jeremy Doku is back in the squad after he missed that match due to illness, which was followed by a brief personal trip back to England.
When is Kick-Off?
New Zealand face Belgium at BC Place, Vancouver, Canada, on Friday 26 June at 8pm PT (4am BST, Saturday 27 June), live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is New Zealand’s first World Cup meeting against Belgium.
- Belgium are meeting New Zealand for the first time in all competitions.
- New Zealand’s Elijah Just has converted two of his three shots on target into goals.
- Belgium have converted just 10 of 38 shots onto target in their opening two matches.
Prediction
Having blown their half-time lead against Egypt with a second-half defensive collapse, New Zealand must regroup and show the same attacking flair which saw them snatch a point in their opener against Iran otherwise they’re going home.
Belgium meanwhile need to buck up their ideas because for all of their dominance against Iran, they lacked clinical composure in their end product so this is the ideal time to raise their game and take fresh confidence into the knockout stages.
Although New Zealand look like they have got the better confidence and ability in terms of form in the last two games, Belgium do possess the better quality and creativity which could well be the difference.
Prediction: New Zealand 1-2 Belgium
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