A win against Belgium tonight is a near must; Kickoff is 8pm PT on FOX
Fresh from scoring his first FIFA World Cup 2026â„¢ goal against Egypt, Portland Timbers defender Finn Surman and New Zealand enter their third game in Group G tonight against Belgium with a chance to advance out of the group stage for the first time in their team's history.
New Zealand vs. Belgium, at 8pm PT at BC Place (Vancouver, B.C.)
- English TV: FOX, FOX One
- Spanish TV: Telemundo, Universo
- MLSsoccer.com Matchcenter
How the All Whites can advance
Though currently sitting in last place in the group with one point, the All Whites are not out of it yet, given they are in one of the closest groups in the tournament.
A win against Belgium tonight is a near must which would put them on four points. Should Egypt defeat or draw with Iran, New Zealand would finish second in the group and advance to the Round of 32.
If both New Zealand AND Iran win, they and Egypt would all finish on four points with the All Whites dropping to third in the group but still with a chance to move on. In this year's tournament, the top eight third-place finishers across all groups book a spot in the knockouts. For Surman and New Zealand, a third place finish could work, depending on how things line up where the other third place teams land in the other 11 groups.
Should the All Whites draw against Belgium, it gets much harder. To advance, they would need Iran to lose by a large amount to Egypt, have to have a high-scoring draw of their own against Belgium and also gamble on other results going their way for a possible third-place path.
A loss to Belgium eliminates New Zealand outright.
In the end, a win against Belgium is the most needed result to continue Surman and New Zealand's World Cup campaign.
