Match report
I’ll leave you with the match report from Belgium’s 5-1 rout of New Zealand.
I’ll be back tomorrow as Austria take on Algeria to see who doesn’t want to play Spain the most. See you then.
Updated
It’s farewell to New Zealand for now, but the expanded 48-team World Cup format means we’ll likely see them again as the Oceania representative at the next tournament in four years’ time.
While they exit this World Cup bottom of their group with just one point, there were enough glimpses of promise across their three group games to give New Zealand football hope for the future. Here’s head coach Darren Bazeley:
The results hurts. I’m proud of the performance and the work-rate. We had to deal with a very good team for very long periods today.
Once we conceded, we had to open the game up. We made a lot of changes and brought as many attackers on as we could.
It’s disappointing but the boys worked hard, gave everything, tried everything to get back into it and show who they are. But it wasn’t their day. We know where we’ve come undone.
The experience of this is going to make us better. Next tournament, we’ll be a lot more hardened. It’s a long way off and it hurts right now because we came to get out of the group and we haven’t done that, but we had chances to do it.
Shyam has written in with some Belgium feelings: “I feel more optimistic after Belgium’s showing. Yes, some of their luminaries like Hazard are not there, but the pressure is less going into the knockout stage. Most of all they do not have Roberto Martinez who buggered up their Golden Generation!”
Belgium will play the third-placed team from Group A, I or J, which at this stage could be South Korea, Senegal, or Algeria.
And it’s full-time in Group G!
Egypt are through to the round of 32 for the first time ever, clinging onto second spot with a 1-1 draw against Iran.
Belgium sail through in first, having climbed three spots in the past 2 hours, while Iran have to wait and see if they’re one of the eight best third-placed teams.
Today’s other match in Group G between Egypt and Iran is still locked at 1-1 after VAR denied a stoppage-time winner for Iran. Follow the live-blog here:
Belgium put their first two poor performances to bed with a dominant display against a New Zealand side that just never got going. The All Whites bow out of their third World Cup, having huffed and puffed around BC Place in Vancouver, but never really laying a hand on their opponents. Belgian fans will be thrilled to see their side find a new gear now heading into the knock-out rounds.
Full-time: New Zealand 1-5 Belgium
A double for Leandro Trossard and goals to Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers cap off Belgium’s best performance of the World Cup. New Zealand, who pulled a goal back through Elijah Just, are out.
GOAL! New Zealand 1-5 Belgium (Saelemaekers 90+4)
New Zealand collapse. Belgium are through to the round of 32.
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90+3 mins: The corner comes in low and cycles around the crowded penalty area before spreading wide to the right for Raskin, who clips a cross back in. Crocombe sticks a strong hand into its path before a panicked bicycle kick from a defender sees the ball spin away up-field.
90+2 mins: Belgium almost make it five! Some slick passing around New Zealand’s box following a sloppy give-away sees the ball fall to De Cuyper, who fizzes a shot towards the roof of the net, but Max Crocombe slaps it over for a corner.
90 mins: Four minutes of added time.
90 mins: Belgium take a quick free kick, feeding the ball to Onana in midfield. He takes a stride forward and unleashes a shot, but doesn’t connect properly and it skims wide.
89 mins: De Vries launches a long throw into Belgium’s penalty area, which is headed clear and Belgium are away on the counter.
88 mins: Callum McCowatt races down the other end to try and latch onto a direct long ball, but he’s shepherded by two Belgian centre-backs. New Zealand aren’t giving up.
86 mins: What a response from Belgium’s substitutes, who came on just a moment ago. A brilliant clipped cross from Raskin – his first touch of the match – falls right onto the head of Lukaku, who sends his bullet header past Crocombe and into the net.
GOAL! New Zealand 1-4 Belgium (Lukaku, 86)
Lukaku scores with his first touch of the game!
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85 mins: Belgium substitutions. Romelu Lukaku takes the captain’s armband from Youri Tielemans, while Nicolas Raskin comes on for De Ketelaere.
GOAL! New Zealand 1-3 Belgium (Just, 84)
The All Whites pull a goal back off a corner, with the excellent Elijah Just volleying in a poor punch from Thibault Courtois!
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82 mins: Argh! New Zealand race forward with numbers after a quick free kick, but McCowatt sends his pass behind the sprinting Just who holds his arms out and looks up into the sky.
80 mins: Both teams looking a bit gassed now. Belgium sends a hopeful switched pass out to the substitute Saelemaekers, who’s isolated against De Vries, but he swings wildly at the volley and sends it up into the stands.
79 mins: New Zealand with another substitution as Francis de Vries replaces Liberato Cacace.
78 mins: New Zealand put basically everyone in the wall, with Eli Just lying down behind them all. De Cuyper takes two steps forwards, but flings his free kick well over the bar.
77 mins: Belgium win a free kick just outside New Zealand’s penalty area after an accidental trip from Stamenic. Bit soft, that.
76 mins: New Zealand almost pull a goal back! A neat interception in midfield sees the ball fed into Wood, who’s wrestling with his back to goal just inside Belgium’s penalty area. He spins and feeds Eli Just, who takes a touch and shoots… but the ball deflects off the thigh of a defender and spins out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
74 mins: Belgium are having fun now, with some sharp single-touch passes zipping around New Zealand’s penalty area. One passage of zig-zags almost lands at the foot of De Ketelaere, but it pings off his hand instead for a merciful free kick to NZ.
Marty has a fun suggestion to give lower-ranked sides a bit more of a shot in World Cup matches like this: “If FIFA really want to make things fair, they should make top tier teams give lower ranked teams their best player at half time. De Bruyne playing in White here would make this half quite interesting.”
71 mins: Belgium make two substitutions at the break. Their two goal-scorers, De Bruyne and Trossard, are off. Their job is done. Alexis Saelemaekers and Amadou Onana are on.
69 mins: Hydration break. With that third goal, Belgium leap-frog Egypt in Group G to go top on goal difference, with Egypt still locked at 1-1 with Iran. This means the Socceroos may be facing the might of Mohamed Salah in the round of 32 if scores remain the same.
67 mins: New Zealand were their own worst enemies there, with two Belgian players able to dance around the penalty area as five white shirts slipped and slid around in desperation. De Bruyne rolls the ball under his foot near the D and opens up, sending it into the net and sending the stadium into raptures.
GOAL! New Zealand 0-3 Belgium (De Bruyne, 67)
Belgium’s talisman lasers the ball into the bottom corner and drives a nail into New Zealand’s World Cup coffin.
Updated
65 mins: Belgium with a brilliant counter-attack, starting in their own penalty area from a corner. The ball spears right to Trossard who threads it behind New Zealand’s scrambling back-line to Fernandez-Pardo storming in from the left, but his shot just skims over the crossbar.
64 mins: New Zealand make two more substitutions. Joe Bell and Tim Payne are off, Michael Boxall and Callum McCowatt are on.
64 mins: New Zealand are back on the ball now, moving it around in a horse-shoe as Belgium settle a bit more into their two defensive lines. Randall finds himself one-on-one with Castagne, and sends a cross in from the left which is deflected out for a corner.
62 mins: Belgium almost make it three! Another corner is driven in low by Fernandez-Pardo from the right, with De Bruyne clipping around one defender before rocketing a shot through a forest of players in the penalty area. Crocombe makes an excellent save and it’s cleared.
60 mins: A gorgeous through-ball from Fernandez-Pardo slices in behind New Zealand’s back line from the left in towards the sprinting De Ketelaere, whose cross is shinned out for another Belgium corner.
58 mins: A nice positive passage for New Zealand down the left, with three All Whites rotating before Stamenic sends a lovely chip in behind for Randall. It comes off a Belgian head for a corner, which is punched away and volleyed over the crossbar.
56 mins: Belgium make their first substitution as Jeremy Doku is replaced by Matias Fernandez-Pardo.
56 mins: Another yellow card for New Zealand, this time for Eli Just who tugs Trossard backwards as the Belgian tries to scamper away.
55 mins: A chance for New Zealand! Eli Just picks up the ball in deep midfield and just… runs. He tears past three Belgian players, as the Red Devils’ back-line backs off and off, into their own penalty area. Just has a team-mate tearing down the left, but a corridor opens in front of him so he shoots instead, with Courtois palming away.
53 mins: Belgium keep coming, with Doku down the left doing a little dodge to create some space for himself to cut the ball back into a crowded penalty area, but Surman throws his big noggin in the way and heads clear.
51 mins: Some great individual quality from Trossard, who controls a ping-ponging ball in the penalty area on his chest before volleying it past two All Whites defenders, leaving Crocombe planted in the grass. There’s a brief VAR check, but the goal stands.
GOAL! New Zealand 0-2 Belgium (Trossard, 50)
A brace for Leandro Trossard and puts Belgium comfortably into second spot in Group G.
Updated
47 mins: Kevin De Bruyne is somehow in plenty of space just outside New Zealand’s penalty area, and he receives an easy square pass from Doku. Trossard is sprinting into space down his right, but the midfielder opens up and shoots instead. He doesn’t get much power behind it though and it rolls wide of the far post.
46 mins: The first yellow card of the match is given to Marko Stamenic for bringing down Youri Tielemans as he tried to gallop away with the ball.
Second half kick-off!
New Zealand with a double-change at half-time as Ben Old replaces Ryan Thomas, while Jesse Randall is on for Sarpreet Singh.
Some illustrative stats, with Belgium dominating New Zealand in literally every category:
Shots: 15 to 0.
Shots on target: 4 to 0.
Possession: 62% to 38%.
Pass accuracy: 89% to 88%.
Passes: 321 to 176.
Corners: 4 to 1.
Elsewhere, it’s 1-1 between Egypt and Iran in Group G’s other match. A crazy goal, a penalty miss… that game has certainly been full of drama.
The live ladder looks like this:
1. Egypt (5 points)
2. Belgium (5 points)
3. Iran (3 points)
4. New Zealand (1 point)
Speaking of disappointment, Uruguay’s group-stage exit early today was a sour end to yet another sour World Cup campaign. Could this be the end for Marcelo Bielsa? Here’s Jonathan Wilson:
Marcelo Bielsa leaves his job as manager amid acrimony and intense disappointment. He is 70 and, while it’s hard to imagine him leaving football, the likelihood is that that is the last we see of him at a World Cup. Like his first campaign, with Argentina in 2002, it ended in frustration, third place in the group and a first-phase exit. Leeds may turn out to have been his last positive experience in management. He has been a brilliant coach, one of the most influential of the past three or four decades, but the light fades for everybody eventually.
What have you made of this half, team? Are you surprised to see Belgium going into half-time with the lead?
Based on how they started, I’m a bit surprised they took their foot off the gas half-way through that first half. They seem to be taking one touch too many in and around the penalty area, when what they really need is someone to just put their foot through it.
New Zealand, meanwhile, were so scattered before the first hydration break, and were lucky to only go into the sheds 0-1 down with that goal-line clearance. While they clawed a bit more control back after the quarter-time restart (ugh), they still look all out of ideas around how to bring Chris Wood and Ryan Thomas into the game.
Half-time: New Zealand 0-1 Belgium
It’s been all Belgium this half, with New Zealand not having a single attempt on goal.
45+5 mins: Ryan Thomas, New Zealand’s young forward, is getting frustrated. He’s barely touched the ball this half, and after a potential foul against team-mate Chris Wood was waved away, Thomas gets into a tangle with Youri Tielemans and gets a talking-to from the referee.
45+3 mins: Belgium with two half-chances in the past two minutes, but there’s just nobody on the end to crash any of these balls into the net. The last one saw Doku float a cross from the left back towards the penalty spot, with New Zealand’s defenders scattered, but Vanakan shanks it over the crossbar.
45+1 mins: A nice series of recycling passes from New Zealand on the left side of their attacking third as it’s Belgium’s turn to bunker in and defend. But Cacace seems to run out of patience and hoofs a cross way too deep into the box, with Chris Wood chasing forlornly. Silly decision.
45 mins: Six minutes of added time in this first half.
45 mins: Belgium creating plenty of overloads in and around New Zealand’s penalty area, trying to find any open channel for a shot. The All Whites are scrambling brilliantly to shut down every avenue, though, and eventually clear the ball away.
43 mins: Belgium almost make it two! A sharp pass from Trossard finds De Ketelaere near the top of New Zealand’s box, who’d pulled off the shoulder of Surman. He takes a touch with his left foot and tries to shoot towards the far post, but Max Crocombe gets down quickly and palms it back into the field. Great save.
Updated
42 mins: Belgium pounce on Courtois’ clearance and immediately come down the other end, with a neat one-two seeing the ball fall to the foot of De Bruyne. He shapes to shoot just near the penalty spot but skies it.
41 mins: New Zealand full-back Liberato Cacace swings in a dangerous cross from the left side now, arrowing it towards the six-yard area for Just to try and get a toe to, but Courtois swings a long leg and clears it away.
39 mins: Jeremy Doku has faded in and out of this half, but the winger is back on the ball now, dancing around the left side of New Zealand’s penalty area. Tim Payne slips and falls into the grass, giving Doku a channel to step into and shoot, but he swings the ball just wide of the far post.
38 mins: Just as I say that, Tim Payne sends a gorgeous bending ball from deep on the right side of midfield in towards Belgium’s six-yard area. There are no New Zealand players there to meet it, but it pings off the shin of Theate and out for a corner, which the towering Courtois collects.
37 mins: In a good indication of the momentum of this match, Belgium have had 10 shots (3 on target) to New Zealand’s 0 (0).
35 mins: Some better spells of possession for New Zealand now after that first 30 minutes of pressure. They’re finding a bit more time and space in midfield, but can’t find those final passes forward into Wood.
33 mins: A half-chance for New Zealand as Just delivers a deep cross from the left side towards captain Chris Wood, who’s being marshalled by two Belgian centre-backs. The ball is just too heavy and drifts over the striker as he stretches every sinew in his neck to try and reach it. Bummer.
32 mins: Eli Just gets in behind De Cuyper for the first time, having swapped wings with Ryan Thomas. He nips onto a long-ball by Payne and tries to cut back for a team-mate, but it’s well intercepted by Belgium who come forward again.
Updated
31 mins: Belgium go down the other end and create yet another chance with De Cuyper squaring for any red-shirted runners, but a white shin sweeps the ball away just in time.
30 mins: New Zealand with their first corner of the match after a nice through-ball from Tim Payne into Sarpreet Singh. They won’t be getting much of these moments based on the past half-hour, but Thibault Courtois launches up into the air and catches comfortably.
29 mins: You’d have to say that goal was coming. Belgium have been relentless since the opening whistle, and they were only a New Zealand mistake away from taking the lead. Trossard has been the most active for the Red Devils in attack so far, so it’s fitting it was him to score the nation’s first goal of this World Cup.
GOAL! New Zealand 0-1 Belgium (Trossard, 28)
A De Bruyne corner is poorly defended by New Zealand and Trossard reacts first, poking it into the net.
Updated
26 mins: Play resumes with a Belgium free kick.
23 mins: Scratch that, it’s a restart for New Zealand for some reason. Crocombe launches it up field, with Wood trying to get his first touch on the ball. There’s a scramble away and the referee signals for the first hydration break.
22 mins: No penalty! It would’ve been extremely harsh if it had been given. The referee rules Surman’s arm was in a natural position. Corner for Belgium.
21 mins: Penalty to Belgium? VAR are checking the play as the ball seemed to whack the arm of Surman as he came in to block Trossard’s shot. The referee signals his little rectangle in the air and trots over to the sideline.
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20 mins: So close for Belgium! A brilliant move started by De Bruyne, who picks up a Doku pass near the centre-circle and charges forward, before sending a pass into Trossard’s feet. The winger cuts inside and shapes to shoot as two New Zealand defenders close down the angle, with the ball ricocheting off the white shirts and deflects over the crossbar.
18 mins: Belgium with another corner, which De Bruyne sends short into Doku. The Manchester City winger tries to cut back to a team-mate in acres of space near the top of the box, but it’s intercepted by Joe Bell who whacks it up-field. Any outlet will do.
17 mins: The stadium bell tolls and Iran have equalised in today’s simultaneous game: Egypt 1 – 1 Iran.
16 mins: Belgium aren’t here to muck around. New Zealand are banked in the penalty area as Trossard, Doku and De Bruyne take turns shooting, with white shirts flinging themselves in front of every ball. Still 0-0, somehow.
15 mins: The broadcast shows a slow-mo replay of the almost-goal earlier. Tyler Bindon somehow got his shin in the way of the spinning ball to deflect it off the line. Incredible.
Allan with quite the observation: “Both the prior pair of matches (CPV v KSA and URU v ESP) and the current pair (EGY v IRN and NZL v BEL) have featured *exactly* the same kits facing each other in both matches. Coincidence? Hey, I’m just asking questions.”
12 mins: It’s Kevin De Bruyne’s turn now, nipping his way out of a two-man press near the top of New Zealand’s box before rocketing a low shot towards goal. Max Crocombe does well to get down and parry, and luckily there are no Belgian players following up as Mechele is laid strewn in the grass instead of paying attention to the ball.
10 mins: HOW WAS THAT NOT A GOAL? A remarkable opportunity for Belgium after Leandro Trossard pounces on a loose ball in the box and shoots to the far bottom corner. Somehow, the ball pings off the post and seems to float over the line before being scooped away by a scrambling New Zealand player. There’s a brief VAR check, but the ball didn’t seem to cross the line.
Updated
10 mins: Belgium getting closer! A great low ball from De Cuyper in towards the penalty spot, but it’s a poor first touch from De Ketelaere, with the ball ping-ponging around a bit. Belgium have won a corner in the chaos, though.
9 mins: New Zealand are struggling to get out of their own half, with Belgium winning the ball back quickly and recycling through their midfield. The All Whites are double-teaming Doku on the right wing, but leaving lots of space down the left.
7 mins: Belgium with some patient passes around the top left of New Zealand’s penalty area. A lot is coming through Kevin De Bruyne at the moment, with the midfielder trying to send two team-mates through down the left, but they both pause for some reason and Surman hoofs it away.
6 mins: The in-stadium bell signals a goal has been scored in Group G’s other match as Egypt take a 1-0 lead against Iran.
4 mins: Belgium with the first shot of the match after a Castagne cross is pinged out towards the top of the box, but Youri Tielemans launches the ball into the stand behind the goal.
Andrew writes in with a prediction: “As Aussie, would love NZ to sneak in 2nd in the group…to play us Aussies in the Battle of Oceania in R32.”
As a fellow Aussie, I’m all for it!
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3 mins: The electric Jeremy Doku is on the ball for the first time, returned to the team following the birth of his child. He tries to feint and double-feint on the right wing, but Liberato Cacace crashes in and New Zealand win the ball back.
1 min: Belgium with some early territory, with De Cuyper launching a long throw into New Zealand’s penalty area, but Sarpreet Singh clears it away.
Kick-off!
Centre referee Adham Makhadmen, who refereed Cape Verde’s famous 0-0 draw against Spain, blows his whistle and we’re underway!
Before kick-off, both teams and the referees gather for a moment’s silence to pay respect to the lives lost in Venezuela following the recent devastating earthquakes.
While we get an extreme close-up of New Zealand striker Chris Wood getting a bit emotional while singing his country’s anthem in what could very well be his last ever World Cup, what’s your tip for today’s match?
Can New Zealand follow in Cape Verde’s steps and cause a massive upset? Or will Belgium find the gear they’ve been missing and sail through to the knock-outs?
Send me an email! samantha.lewis.freelance@guardian.co.uk
The teams have gathered around the centre-circle ready for the anthems. New Zealand are, as their name foreshadows, wearing All White, while Belgium are in their traditional home kit of red jersey with black shorts and black socks.
New World Cup celebrity Tim Payne starts once again for New Zealand today, and a stand-out performance will only add out his extremely funny rise to stardom.
Take a read below of how the tournament’s least-known player became an overnight sensation thanks to… an Argentinian influencer?
Speaking of, who is through to the last 32?
Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Morocco, USA, Australia, Paraguay, Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Egypt, Spain, Cape Verde, France, Norway, Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, England and Ghana.
And who has been eliminated?
Czechia, Qatar, Haiti, Turkey, Curaçao, Tunisia, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Panama.
Not all matches on this final day are as straight-forward as this one, though. Fifa’s new head-to-head ruling has created unusual situations where some teams are heading into their final games already eliminated from the World Cup, regardless of their final results.
Yesterday, for example, we saw Turkey defeat hosts USA 3-2 in an ultimately inconsequential 90 minutes, while tomorrow England will face Panama (eliminated) and Argentina take on Jordan (eliminated).
Elsewhere, as the folks at Guardian Football Weekly discussed recently, some potentially unfair advantages have emerged where some nations enter their final match day with more information than others, which could affect how they go about their games.
In Japan’s final group game against Sweden yesterday, both sides took to the field knowing that whichever of them won would finish runner-up and therefore face Brazil in the next round.
Similarly, tomorrow’s match between Algeria and Austria will see two teams perhaps trying not to win because the winner will have to take on Spain.
What have you made of Fifa’s new format? Has the head-to-head deciding factor created a better spectacle, or has it taken the drama and jeopardy out of this final match day?
Send me an email and/or listen to the Guardian team discussing the ramifications below:
New Zealand, meanwhile, will be kicking themselves for not taking more from their ultimate 3-1 loss against Egypt. An excellent headed goal to Finn Surman in the 15th minute epitomised the All Whites’ dominant first-half display, staying compact and disciplined in defence and charging forward with direct long balls and overlaps in attack.
But Egypt, led by their talismanic captain Mohamed Salah, came roaring back in the second half, coming from behind to score three unanswered goals and rocket to the top of the group as a result.
New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley rued his side’s poor second-half display, especially after showing such promise in the first.
If they start today’s match against Belgium similarly, they’ll need to find some deeper resilience to maintain their momentum all the way to the final whistle.
“It’s frustrating,” Bazeley said after the Egypt match. “We played so well in the first half. We scored a great goal, created lots of chances, felt like we were dominating possession a lot of the time in the first half, and we were comfortable. We weren’t really getting hurt.
“We talked well at half-time, looked at some things we can do a little bit better, we went out second half and we just weren’t able to recreate the tempo and quality that we showed in the first half.”
Belgium will have to improve if they are to win today’s match against a plucky New Zealand and secure their spot in the round of 32.
They currently sit 10th out of the 12 third-placed teams, with only the top 8 progressing to the knock-outs.
As Ben Fisher wrote in his match report after their 0-0 draw against Iran:
Their record at major tournaments now reads two wins from their past nine matches, one from their past six, against Romania at Euro 2024. They have had a total of 38 shots in their opening two games in the US without scoring themselves, their sole goal coming courtesy of the Egypt defender Mohamed Hany. They missed the energy of Jérémy Doku, who was absent through illness, while Romelu Lukaku, making his first start for club or country for more than 12 months, huffed and puffed in attack.
Head coach Rudi Garcia certainly sees today’s match as a must-win for his underperforming side, though I’m not sure the cycling metaphor is instilling the kind of confidence he thinks it is:
Sometimes when you have to win, sometimes that’s the best situation. Obviously we had wished to start better. But, just like cyclists, we have to keep pedalling on and on and show we deserve to move on to the round of 32.
Belgium XI
Five changes for Belgium after their frustrating 0-0 draw against Iran.
Timothy Castagne replaces Thomas Meunier at right-back, while Arthur Theate starts at centre-back in place of the red-carded Nathan Ngoy.
Hans Vanaken comes into midfield instead of Nicolas Raskin, Jeremy Doku is back in the starting team to replace Alexis Saelemaekers, and Charles De Ketelaere is up front in place of Romelu Lukaku.
Belgium XI (4-2-3-1): Courtois; De Cuyper, Theate, Mechele, Castagne; Tielemans, Vanaken; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; De Ketelaere.
New Zealand XI
Two changes for New Zealand’s team from their loss to Egypt: Tyler Bindon starts at centre-back in place of the highly experienced Michael Boxall, while Callum McCowatt makes way for Ryan Thomas in midfield.
New Zealand XI (4-2-3-1) Crocombe; Payne, Surman, Bindon, Cacace; Stamenic, Bell; Thomas, Singh, Just; Wood.
So, what happens next?
Belgium will guarantee qualification to the next round with a win against New Zealand, while New Zealand need to beat Belgium to sneak into third spot in Group G (and hope Iran lose to Egypt to potentially leapfrog them into second).
In today’s simultaneous game, Egypt will guarantee qualification with a draw or a win against Iran, while Iran will qualify if they defeat Egypt.
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The winner of Group G will then face the third-placed team from one of Group A, H, I or J (which at this stage could be one of South Korea, Senegal, or Algeria)
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The runner-up of Group G will play the runner-up of Group D, Australia
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If the third-placed team from Group G qualifies for the round of 32, they’ll take on the winner of either Group B (Switzerland) or Group I (France)
Turning our attention back to today’s match, New Zealand v Belgium could create history in more ways than one, depending on which team comes out on top.
For New Zealand, a win against Belgium would not only be the biggest win in the All Whites’ World Cup history, but it would be their first ever World Cup win full stop.
This is just the third tournament appearance for the World Cup’s lowest-ranked nation (86th) after they qualified first in 1982 and again in 2010.
They lost every game in that first rodeo, but it was in South Africa that they recorded arguably their greatest World Cup result to date, a 1-1 draw against Italy, whom they leapfrogged to finish third (which was, coincidentally, Italy’s last tournament appearance).
A win against world number 9 Belgium today could catapult this exciting young group of Kiwis to new, historic heights.
Belgium, meanwhile, are hoping to avoid making a different kind of history. This is their 13th World Cup tournament, having debuted at the first edition in 1930 and been a regular presence since, with their best ever finish coming in Russia 2018 (3rd).
But the team has slowly regressed since then with a shock group stage exit in Qatar 2022 and a round of 16 defeat at the 2024 men’s Euros.
If they lose today’s match, it will be the first time in the country’s almost century-long World Cup history that they’ve failed to make it out of the group stage in back-to-back tournaments.
After today’s incredible Cape Verde result, it feels like anything is possible.
History for Cape Verde!!!
The World Cup’s smallest nation has qualified for the round of 32 after a third successive draw, holding Saudi Arabia to 0-0 in Houston, Texas.
As soon as the full-time whistle blew, the players sprinted to the sideline to gather around the phones of their coaching staff who were following the live results of the other Group H match.
Slowly, as the full-time result began filtering around the stadium, the players exploded into joy: Spain 1-0 Uruguay.
Uruguay’s loss means the tiny island nation catapults up Group H and into second spot, making it through to the knock-out phase on their World Cup debut. Extraordinary.
It also means both Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, two nations who are hosting the next two World Cups, are OUT.
Cape Verde will now face title-holders Argentina in a true David v Goliath match.
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In a nerve-jangling stalemate playing out at the moment, Cape Verde have leapfrogged Uruguay and landed in second spot in Group H while holding out Saudi Arabia. Find out whether the World Cup debutants will continue their journey, or whether Saudi Arabia can find a late goal to leap into second spot.
While we’re waiting for New Zealand and Belgium to draw closer, Uruguay are on the brink of a World Cup exit after falling behind against Spain. Follow along to find out whether they can find an equaliser to keep their last-32 dreams alive.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the final match day of Group G with New Zealand taking on Belgium at BC Place in Vancouver. Kick-off for today’s match will be 8:00pm local time (11pm EDT/4am BST/1pm AEST).
This is the third and final match of Group G, with all four teams playing simultaneously to see who will qualify out of one of the tightest groups of this World Cup.
As it stands, just three points separate first from fourth, with Egypt (4) leading the group followed closely by Iran (2), Belgium (2), and New Zealand (1).
While a number of other fourth-placed teams have entered this final match day already eliminated thanks to Fifa’s new head-to-head ruling, there is still a ray of hope for New Zealand.
Their opening 2-2 draw against Iran, combined with Belgium’s two draws in their first two matches, means a win for the All Whites today could see them leapfrog the world number 10 and qualify for their first ever World Cup knock-outs.
Belgium, for their part, currently sit outside the best-ranked third-placed teams after two disappointing performances against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0).
They will be particularly frustrated by their performance against Iran last week, which saw Nathan Ngoy receive a straight red card and a side stacked with stars fail to get past the stand-out Alireza Beiranvand in goal.
All of which is to say that both teams need a win today (though Belgium could settle for another draw) to progress to the round of 32.
Elsewhere, Egypt are also taking on Iran in Seattle to determine who could top the group and thus secure an easier opponent in the next stage. Jonathan Howcroft is leading that live blog here if you’d like to follow along with both.
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