Early on 27 June, Belgium defeated New Zealand 5-1 at BC Place in Vancouver, securing first place in Group G and a spot in the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup. The victory also eliminated New Zealand from the tournament.
This was Belgium's first win at this World Cup, lifting them to the top of Group G with four points — level with Egypt but with a superior goal difference. Iran sit third with three points and must wait on results from other groups to learn their fate.
A brace from Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard, along with goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers, sealed the emphatic win. In the concurrent match, Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran in Seattle, clinching second place in Group G.
From the opening whistle, Belgium piled pressure on New Zealand's goal. In the third minute, Trossard's angled shot hit the post before Tyler Bindon cleared off the line. Belgium nearly earned a penalty when the ball struck Finn Surman's arm, but VAR overturned the referee Adham Makhadmeh's initial call.
The breakthrough came in the 30th minute when Trossard stabbed home from close range after De Bruyne's corner caused chaos in the box. Trossard doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a volley from a rebound, and De Bruyne made it 3-0 in the 66th minute with a classy low finish.
New Zealand pulled one back through Elijah Just's volley from outside the box, briefly dropping Belgium to second place. However, substitute Romelu Lukaku entered in the 85th minute and headed home just a minute later to restore Belgium's lead. Alexis Saelemaekers completed the 5-1 rout with a strike from distance in stoppage time.
