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Belgium reaches the decisive day of the in a situation that no one anticipated: two draws, zero victories, and the necessity to win this Friday to avoid being eliminated from the tournament.
The Diablos Rojos have accumulated only two points after drawing 1-1 with Egypt on June 15 and finishing without goals against Iran on June 22, a result that highlighted the team's inability to assert its dominance.
The expulsion of defender Nathan Ngoy against the Iranians further complicated the situation for a team that arrived at the tournament with Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku as key players and with a clear favoritism in the group.
Now, the Belgians will face New Zealand this Friday at BC Place in Vancouver at 8:00 PM local time, in what is, in practice, a final.
Facing them will be an oceanic team that has been one of the surprises of the tournament. The All Whites, placed in pot four of the draw and considered the weakest team in the group, drew 2-2 with Iran in their debut, and although they lost 3-1 to Egypt on June 22, they were in the lead for a significant part of that match thanks to Finn Surman's goal in the 14th minute.
With a point and mathematically eliminated, New Zealand has nothing to lose and will seek to achieve a historic victory that could also sink the Belgians.
If Belgium does not win, their fate will rest on the results of other groups, where they will compete for one of the spots reserved for the best third-placed teams.
The other match of the day features Egypt and Iran at Lumen Field in Seattle, also at 8:00 PM local time, with referee Szymon Marciniak officiating the game.
The Pharaohs lead the group with four points and depend on themselves to finish first. Mohamed Salah was crucial in the comeback against New Zealand, where Egypt scored three goals in the second half to secure the 3-1 victory.
Iran, for its part, arrives with two points and the same goal difference as Belgium, but with a better offensive record: two goals for and two against, compared to the one goal for and one against by the Belgians. The Asians need to defeat Egypt to qualify without relying on calculations; otherwise, they would also be in the competition for the best third-placed teams.
The Egypt-Iran match also took on an extradeportive dimension: FIFA confirmed that fans will be allowed to enter the stadium with rainbow badges and flags as part of Pride Month, despite both countries criminalizing homosexuality in their laws.
The G Group is the only one in the 2026 World Cup where four teams arrived with mathematical chances of advancing to the final matchday, ensuring that every goal scored this Friday will have direct consequences on the fate of all the players involved.
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