New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup 2026™ dream has come to an end, suffering elimination after a 5-1 defeat to Belgium in their final Group G fixture in Vancouver.
Separated by 74 places on the FIFA World Rankings, the gap was always evident betwen the two nations as Belgium romped to a dominant victory, scoring four goals in the second half to secure their place in the knockout stages.
New Zealand fought hard to keep themselves in the contest for 50 minutes though, and had a late consolation to celebrate when Elijah Just scored his third goal of the tournament, extending his record as the nation’s top goalscorer at the World Cup.
The pressure was on both sides coming into the match, either knowing only a win would suffice to keep their World Cup alive and advance to the Round of 32. All Whites coach Darren Bazeley changed his starting line-up for the first time at the tournament, Tyler Bindon replacing Michael Boxall at centre-back, and Ryan Thomas coming in for Callum McCowatt on the right-hand side of the attacking midfield.
Bindon was forced to make a crucial defensive intervention inside the first 15 minutes, hurriedly clearing away off the goal-line after Belgian striker Charles De Keteleare struck the inside of the right post. Goalkeeeper Max Crocombe saw his first action moments later too, parrying away a stinging shot from Kevin De Bruyne.
Belgium had been quick to assert themselves and that set the tone for the domination that the Red Devils would enjoy throughout the rest of the contest.
New Zealand were afforded another lucky break when the referee overturned a Belgian penalty in the 20th minute, with Finn Surman’s elbow adjudged to have been in a natural position from Leandro Trossard’s blocked shot.
To have worked so hard to stay level, coach Darren Bazeley would’ve been livid with the opening goal his side conceded.
The All Whites allowed a corner delivery to bounce inside the penalty box, and Trossard was on hand to smash the ball into the top of the net from point-blank range in the 28th minute. It marked Trossard’s first World Cup goal and just Belgium’s second of their stay in North America.
Crocombe was forced to make another top stop to deny De Keteleare from a one-on-one position, and New Zealand were lucky to be trailing by just one goal at the interval, having failed to register even a single shot down the other end.
It got even worse for the All Whites five minutes into the second half when Trossard doubled Belgium’s lead. Trossard saw his initial shot blocked but was on hand to guide the ball into the top-left corner on the rebound, scoring his second to extinguish any hopes New Zealand had of making a comeback.
It took 55 minutes for New Zealand to finally muster a shot at goal, Elijah Just forcing Thibaut Courtois to parry away from the bottom-left corner.
Belgium continued to pull away though, Kevin De Bruyne scoring the Red Devils third and his first World Cup goal since 2018 in the 66th minute, perfectly drilling a left-footed effort into the bottom-right corner.
The All Whites did at least have one last moment to savour on the world stage in the 84th minute, Just smashing the ball into the top of the net on the half-volley after Courtois had failed to clear his lines from a corner delivery.
The welcome consolation goal lasted just two minutes though, Romelu Lukaku scoring Belgium’s fourth with his first touch after coming off the bench, before Alexis Saelemaekers rounded out the scoring with the fifth in second half stoppage-time. Belgium will move on to face one of the best third-placed sides in the Round of 32, where they’ll be hoping to push on.
Meanwhle, New Zealand finish their third FIFA World Cup campaign with one point from their three fixtures, finishing bottom of Group G, but can take many learnings from this experience. They have represented Oceania with pride and passion in 2026.
New Zealand: 1 (Elijah JUST 84′)
Belgium: 5 (Leandro TROSSARD 28’, 50’, Kevin DE BRUYNE 66′, Romelu LUKAKU 86′, Alexis SAELEMAEKERS 90+4′)
HT: 0-1
Photo credit: FIFA via Getty Images