Belgium have advanced to the 2026 World Cup round of 32 as Group G winners after a 5-1 win against New Zealand. Goals from Leandro Trossard (x2), Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers led them to a convincing win that was enough to give them top spot.

New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley wants to see the Kiwis taking part in tournaments such as the Gold Cup, as the All Whites start plotting their next move after their elimination from the FIFA World Cup.

New Zealand began their title defence on terrible footing, losing to West Indies and Sri Lanka. Though the climb since has been steep, they arrived at their final league game agai

Iran finish third, and have a long wait ahead of them to see if they will qualify as one of the best third placed finishers.

The New Zealand and Belgium national teams meet in the 2026 World Cup group stage. Follow for live updates, goals and more from reporters on the ground.

Belgium finally kickstarted their 2026 World Cup campaign following back-to-back draws, with a statement 5-1 victory over New Zealand.

New Zealand pulled one back through Just in the 84th ​minute, but Lukaku restored Belgium’s three-goal lead with a powerful header before fellow substitute Alexis Saelemaekers added a ​fifth in stoppage ⁠time to compound a miserable night for New Zealand,