Belgium defeated New Zealand to clinch first place in Group G of the 2026 World Cup, while Egypt secured second place. The 2026 World Cup group stage is rapidly drawing to a close, and the final standings for Group G are officially in the books. Belgium have advanced as the group winner, punching their ticket to the Round of 32 alongside Egypt, which secured a second-place finish.
Belgium finally found their attacking spark when it mattered most, putting together a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand to seal top spot in the group. The Red Devils finish Group G with five points, recovering from a pair of underwhelming draws against Egypt and Iran to close out the group stage in style.
On the flip side, Egypt settled for a 1-1 draw against Iran, a result that was still enough to lock down second place and an automatic spot in the knockout stage. The Pharaohs finished on five points as well, but a slightly inferior goal differential left them just behind Belgium in the final reckoning.
Iran finished the group in third place, keeping their tournament alive as they await the final wild-card standings to see if they advance as one of the tournament’s best third-place teams, while New Zealand exited the tournament at the bottom of Group G without a single point to their name across three matches.
Mission accomplished. ❤️🔥 #NZLBEL#ScoredWithING pic.twitter.com/2IfcobtxBp— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 27, 2026
Round of 32 venues and potential matchups
By virtue of winning Group G, Belgium will play their Round of 32 match on July 1 at the Seattle Stadium. The Red Devils will square off against one of the wild-card third-place finishers emerging from Groups A, E, H, I, or J.
Depending on how the wild-card picture settles, Belgium’s path could open up against the likes of South Korea or Scotland, among other third-place contenders still waiting to learn their fate.
As for the North African nation, Egypt will take the pitch for their knockout opener on July 3 at Dallas Stadium, and their opponent will be Australia, as they finished at second place in Group D.
Group G final standings
Group G standings.