All you need to know about the All Whites FIFA World Cup Group G opponents
Saturday, 6 December 2025
The All Whites will play Belgium, Egypt and Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after they were drawn in group G for next year’s tournament.
No group will be easy, but the 86th-ranked All Whites have a realistic chance of advancing to the knockout stages for the first time.
Here’s a breakdown of the other teams in group G, and what All Whites coach Darren Bazeley had to say about them, after the draw was done:
Belgium
FIFA ranking: 8.
How they qualified: Belgium scored 29 goals in eight games without losing to finish top of group J during UEFA qualifying, securing direct entry to the World Cup.
World Cup history: This will be Belgium’s 15th appearance at the FIFA World Cup. Belgium’s best finish is third, in 2018.
Star man: Kevin de Bruyne won six Premier League titles with Manchester City before making the move to Napoli this season and is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders of his generation.
All Whites’ record against Belgium: They have never played Belgium.
What they said: “They're a team that were very, very good. They were ranked top a few years ago. They're a little bit in a transition period. They've got players like [Kevin] de Bruyne and [Romelu] Lukaku still, who are a little bit older now, players like [Jeremy] Doku, doing really well in n the Premier League. What we know is whatever squad they pick they’re going to have really strong depth, every player will be playing in top leagues across Europe,” - All Whites coach Darren Bazeley.
Egypt
FIFA ranking: 34
How they qualified: Egypt qualified for the World Cup after going through pool play unbeaten and finishing top of their group with a record of eight wins and two draws from 10 games in CAF qualifying. They scored 20 goals and only conceded two.
World Cup history: Egypt have qualified for the World Cup on four occasions, in 1934, 1990, 2018, and 2026. They have never won a game at a World Cup.
Star man: Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the world. He finished fourth on the Ballon d’Or voting in 2025 after scoring 34 goals and laying on 23 assists to help Liverpool win the Premier League.
All Whites’ record against Egypt: 0-1-2 Egypt (last meeting: 0-1 2024)
What Bazeley said: “A lot of people have tried to deal with him [Salah]. He’s a very good player. For me personally, because I’m a Liverpool supporter, it’s exciting to challenge ourselves against one of the best players in the world. We’ll have a plan and it will be down to a couple of people to see if they can actually deal with him on the day and that’s a challenge I know our players will rise to, but it’s not going to be easy.”
Iran
FIFA ranking: 20
How they qualified: Iran qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup after finishing first in group A during the third round of AFC qualifying. They only lost one of their 10 games and finished above two other qualifiers, Uzbekistan and Qatar.
World Cup history: Iran have qualified for the World Cup on seven occasions, in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. They have never progressed past the group stage.
Star man: Striker Mehdi Taremi currently plays for Greek champions Olympiacos and was part of the Inter Milan squad that reached the final of the Champions League this year. The 33-year-old is one of only a couple of Iran national team regulars who ply their trade in Europe.
All Whites’ record against Iran: 0-1-1 Iran (last meeting: 0-3 2003).
What Bazeley said: “We don't know much about them, though we've seen their qualification route through Asia, where they've obviously done very, very well. They've been consistent with results. The little bits we’ve seen so far, it's going to be a tough game, they won’t have players that people will know, so they're a bit unknown, but by the time we play them we'll obviously know them really well.”
All Whites fixtures
Kickoff times and venues to be confirmed on Sunday (NZ time)
June 15 (June 16 NZT) v Iran in Los Angeles or Seattle
June 21 (June 22 NZT) v Egypt in Los Angeles or Vancouver
June 26 (June 27 NZT) v Belgium in Seattle or Vancouver
FIFA World Cup Full Draw
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of European playoff D
Group B: Canada, Winner of European playoff A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of European playoff C.
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of European playoff B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of intercontinental playoff 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner of intercontinental playoff 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama