New Zealand vs Belgium | FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group Stage | Preview and Prediction

New Zealand face Belgium in this Group G game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup knowing that their knockout qualification is more or less out of their hands if they fail to win tonight.

A win for either side takes them through, a draw means New Zealand are out, and a loss to Belgium puts them out too. With many outcomes possible, both sides will look for what is the simplest equation of all: win, and that too by a considerable margin.

For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.

FIFA WC26 | Group G: NZL vs BEL | 08:30 IST, 27 June 2026

New Zealand are still searching for what will be their first win in men’s World Cup finals after seeing their unbeaten run in the tournament brought to an end with a pretty bad 3–1 loss to Egypt, which followed a creditable 2–2 draw against Iran in their opening match.

The first half against Egypt went exactly to type. The All Whites got the early goal in the half, defended well and in numbers, and managed to keep the Egyptians at bay until the half-time whistle. However, their second-half showing left a lot to be desired, as they not only let Egypt back into the game, but allowed them to dictate the terms from then on and surrendered rather meekly towards the end.

The 3–1 scoreline was flattering because Egypt could easily have had a couple more goals. New Zealand cannot afford to switch off the way they did in the second half; against a side as skilled as Belgium, that will only mean trouble.

Belgium, on the other hand, have once again proven to be one of the tournament’s biggest disappointments. Draws against Egypt and Iran have more or less put qualification out of their hands, unless they beat New Zealand by a significant margin.

Every one of their players has been poor and flattered to deceive, and their overall play just feels disjointed and stodgy. Even the one goal they have scored thus far is an own goal. Their attack is one-dimensional, with most players either past their prime or young and inconsistent, while the saga around Jérémy Doku’s absence to be with his family for the birth of his first child has also not helped matters.

Basically, Belgium have to get their attack firing once again. Both Doku and Leandro Trossard have had great campaigns on an individual level, but they have not been able to bring that momentum to this World Cup. Perhaps this could be the game where that happens.

We believe that, despite their poor showings, Belgium have just too much firepower in their ranks for New Zealand to deal with, making them favourites to win this contest.

Score Prediction: New Zealand 0–3 Belgium
Venue: BC Place Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada