TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Belgium and Egypt secured their places in the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the final Group G matches on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
The Red Devils topped the group with a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand, while Egypt claimed the second automatic qualification spot after holding Iran to a 1-1 draw.
Both sides finished the group stage with five points from three matches, but Belgium claimed first place on goal difference. Iran ended third with four points and must now await the outcomes of Groups E, F, I, and J to determine whether they can advance as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams. New Zealand finished bottom with one point.
At BC Place in Vancouver, Canada, Rudi Garcia's men dominated proceedings from the opening whistle. They controlled possession and dictated the tempo throughout, while New Zealand relied primarily on counterattacks that were comfortably contained by the Belgian defense.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute through Leandro Trossard, with the Arsenal forward capitalizing on a loose ball inside the penalty area to give his side a 1-0 halftime lead.
The Red Devils tightened their grip after the break. Trossard completed his brace in the 50th minute after being picked out by Hans Vanaken before Kevin De Bruyne extended the advantage to 3-0 in the 66th minute with a clinical finish from inside the box.
Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand in the 84th minute, but the response was immediate. Substitute Romelu Lukaku restored the three-goal cushion two minutes later after latching onto a pass from Nicolas Raskin.
Alexis Saelemaekers capped the emphatic victory in stoppage time, converting Lukaku's assist in the 90+4th minute to seal a 5-1 win.
According to FIFA statistics, Belgium registered 34 attempts on goal, compared with New Zealand's six, only two of which were on target. The European side also completed the match without receiving a card, while New Zealand collected two yellow cards.
Iran Left Waiting
In the other Group G fixture in Seattle, United States, Egypt secured qualification for the knockout stage after holding Iran to a 1-1 draw.
Egypt made a dream start, taking the lead in the fifth minute when Mahmoud Saber finished off an assist from Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan to beat Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Iran responded quickly, with Ramin Rezaeian equalizing in the 14th minute to make it 1-1.
The early exchange of goals set up an open contest as both sides pushed for the result they needed. Egypt finished with 15 shots, while Iran registered 13 attempts.
The match was also fiercely contested. The referee showed three yellow cards to Egypt and four to Iran, while the two teams combined for 27 fouls.
Iran thought they had snatched a dramatic winner in stoppage time when Shoja Khalilzadeh found the back of the net in the 90+3rd minute. However, after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was disallowed.
The match ended 1-1, confirming Egypt's place in the round of 32 as Group G runners-up. Iran, meanwhile, must await the results from the remaining groups to find out whether they will advance as one of the best third-placed teams.
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