Three changes All Whites coach Darren Bazeley could make for must-win FIFA World Cup clash with Belgium

Friday, 26 June 2026

Former Football Fern Jenny Bindon and her son, All White Tyler Bindon, look back on becoming the first mother and son to feature at FIFA World Cups.

The All Whites face Belgium in a win-or-go-home FIFA World Cup match on Friday night in Vancouver (3pm Saturday NZ time).

Coach Darren Bazeley looks likely to make a change or two, after sticking with the same starting XI for their draw with Iran and loss to Egypt.

Ben Old, Ryan Thomas and Callan Elliot would be the leading contenders to come in, with Jesse Randall and Tyler Bindon also in the mix.

A win would be the All Whites’ first at a World Cup and put them through to the round of 32.

ANALYSIS: Knockout football has come early for the All Whites at the FIFA World Cup.

And the sense in Vancouver is that coach Darren Bazeley might make a change or two for his side’s win-or-go-home clash with Belgium on Friday night (3pm Saturday NZ time).

He stuck with the same starting XI between the first-up 2-2 draw with Iran in Los Angeles last Monday and the 3-1 defeat to Egypt the team had in Vancouver on Sunday evening.

But after the second match finished with his side conceding three goals in the final 32 minutes plus stoppage time, Bazeley will almost certainly want to freshen things up for their return to BC Place, where they need to break their World Cup duck to stay alive.

The spine of captain Chris Wood, Eli Just, Joe Bell, Marko Stamenić and Finn Surman will almost certainly remain in place for what could yet be the All Whites’ last shot at getting their first World Cup win for four years.

It is also hard to see Bazeley moving away from Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace and Max Crocombe, even though there are alternatives in their positions – Tyler Bindon, Ben Old and Alex Paulsen.

But the time might be ripe for a change of personnel in attacking midfield and there is also the ever-present question of what to do at right back.

The wide defensive position is set to be in the spotlight, as whoever lines up there will likely be facing Belgium’s Manchester City star – and new father – Jeremy Doku.

Bazeley won’t set his side up to park the bus from the off, even though Belgium should be the toughest opponent they have faced yet.

The All Whites have come this far trying to play football and will have noted Egypt and Iran had plenty of good moments in their respective 1-1 and 0-0 draws with Belgium, whose golden generation of players are fading.

But Bazeley will also be well aware his side are likely to spend more time without the ball defending than they did against Egypt, a match where they already spent more time out of possession than they did against Iran.

Introducing some speed so the All Whites pose a greater threat on the counter is the obvious move – and Old is the obvious player to introduce, on the left of the attacking midfield trio.

He was the first player off the bench in both matches so far, playing left back against Iran then both left winger and left back against Egypt, where a no-foul call that went against him was a source of much frustration afterwards.

Old starting in front of Cacace on the left would also help shore up a flank where the opposition moves for four of the five goals the All Whites have conceded have started from.

You can make a case for bringing in fellow speedster Jesse Randall – one of three other players to have come off the bench in both matches so far – on the other flank, to really boost the threat level on the counter.

Bazeley will likely want to keep some pace in reserve for later in the contest. Opting for Randall ahead of Old in the first place would be a surprise at this stage.

Callum McCowatt – through no fault of his own – would likely be the man to make way to get Old into the starting lineup, with Just moving to the right, but it’s also possible McCowatt could move centrally to the No 10 role Sarpreet Singh has occupied so far.

Singh had a strong outing against Iran, where he had a key hand in both of Just’s goals, then made less of an impact against Egypt. Despite noticeably fading out of both matches, he stayed on the field until stoppage time in match one, and until the 76th minute in match two.

Ryan Thomas – who has said he is now fit to start, after recovering from the hamstring injury that kept him out of both warm-up matches – appeals as a potential replacement against Belgium and an ace up Bazeley's sleeve.

The New Zealand midfielder reflects on what the milestone means to him, his family and the wider Sikh, Punjabi and Indian communities after making his World Cup debut in Los Angeles.

He is someone who might be able to make more of an impact growing into the game from the opening whistle than he has been able to coming into a pair of fairly chaotic matches off the bench and his fresher legs will help the All Whites press Belgium early and get a foothold in the contest.

The other three players to have come off the bench so far at the World Cup have all been defenders – Bindon in both matches, first as a third centre back, then at right back; Callan Elliot at right back against Iran, where his one-on-one defending was singled out for praise by Bazeley afterwards; and Francis de Vries against Egypt, as a source of crosses late on.

First-choice right back Tim Payne was better against Egypt than he was against Iran and had a moment to remember when he delivered the corner Finn Surman scored from to give the All Whites the lead after 15 minutes.

But with a potential match-up against Doku – one of the most lethal dribblers in world football – in store it might be time to introduce someone who has had a lighter workload so far, though it would also be one hell of a time to hand Elliot what would be just his second All Whites start.

Elliot strengthened his reputation as a strong one-on-one defender during Auckland FC’s run to the A-League Men championship last month, but taking on Doku – or Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard – would be his greatest challenge yet.

Bazeley’s other option at right back would be Bindon, a centre back by trade, but he would be wary of the impact that would have on his side going forward, in a match where they need to score at least once.

The All Whites gained further clarity on the task at hand on Wednesday local time (Thursday NZ time) when Scotland finished third in group C with three points.

That means there are now guaranteed to be four third-placed teams with a worse record than New Zealand’s if they do get up and stun Belgium (four points and at worst a -1 goal difference), so they will advance regardless of results elsewhere.