All Whites v Belgium: All you need to know about the FIFA World Cup group G match
Saturday, 27 June 2026
The All Whites must beat world number 10 Belgium at BC Place in Vancouver on Saturday (NZT) to reach the World Cup knockout stages.
Belgium remain winless after two draws despite having star players including Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Thibaut Courtois and Leandro Trossard in their squad.
The All Whites need their biggest result in history to keep their World Cup campaign alive after taking just one point from two matches.
What you need to know
The All Whites face Belgium in their final group G match at BC Place in Vancouver on Friday (8pm local time, Saturday 3pm NZT), live on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 1, with updates on Stuff.
New Zealand must beat world No 10 Belgium to reach the knockout stages after taking just one point from their opening two matches.
Belgium’s squad is headlined by Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Thibaut Courtois and Leandro Trossard, but they remain winless after two draws.
What to expect
The challenge could hardly be greater for the All Whites, who must produce the biggest result in their history to keep their World Cup campaign alive.
New Zealand believe they can upset a Belgium side under immense pressure, but will need to deliver over 90 minutes after showing only flashes so far.
Belgium were expected to cruise through group G but have managed just one goal in two matches. The return of Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku is a major boost and adds another threat in attack.
The All Whites will need another strong start, as overturning a deficit against Belgium to take all three points looks unlikely. But an early goal would only heighten the pressure, with Belgium facing the embarrassment of another early exit if they lose.
Squads
All Whites
GK: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud; DF: Callan Elliot, Tim Payne; Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman; Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries; MF: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Eli Just, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenić, Ryan Thomas; FW: Kosta Barbarouses, Callum McCowatt, Jesse Randall, Logan Rogerson, Ben Waine, Chris Wood.
Belgium
GK: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders; DF: Timothy Castagne, Zeno Debast, Maxim de Cupyer, Koni de Winter, Brandon Mechele, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate; MF: Kevin de Bruyne, Amadou Onana, Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel; FW: Charles de Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Leandro Trossard.
Form
Both teams are chasing their first win of the tournament. The All Whites drew 2-2 with Iran before squandering a halftime lead in a 3-1 loss to Egypt. Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt and were then held to a scoreless draw by Iran after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off.
What they said
All Whites midfielder Ryan Thomas: “They’ve underperformed in the first two games, and they know that. They’ve also been outspoken about that in the media. When you’ve got so many good players and they’re sitting on two points in an easy group for them, they’re not going to be happy. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on them, so we’ve just got to make sure we make it even harder.”
Belgium centre back Brandon Mechele: “We have to match their intensity because that’s their way of playing. If we can match that I don’t see any problem because we have on paper more quality, with all due respect to New Zealand. Maybe we have a little bit less in the games before, but it was a wake-up call and we will be ready.”
All Whites left back Liberato Cacace: “They’re world-class players so they’re going to react in ways that are world class. They’ve had two draws and they’re wanting to go out, just like us, to win the game. We’re expecting a big reaction from Belgium and we’ve got to match that and probably be better than them in all areas of the pitch.”
Players to watch
Finn Surman (All Whites): The 22-year-old centre back has been a rock at the back for the All Whites and underlined his set-piece threat by heading home the opening goal against Egypt.
Jeremy Doku (Belgium): The Manchester City winger is lethal one-on-one and returns for Belgium’s final group G match after flying back to England for the birth of his first child.
History
The All Whites and Belgium will meet for the first time after a planned 2020 friendly was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.