Belgium claimed their first win at the 2026 World Cup on Friday as they overpowered New Zealand in a 5-1 victory and secured a spot in the knock-out stage.
The Belgians advanced as Group G winners and will face the third-placed team in Group A, I or J in the round of 32.
Egypt held on to a dramatic 1-1 draw with Iran, with the Iranian team having a goal ruled out for offside in stoppage-time and also hitting the crossbar.
Egypt had started the game already qualified to the knock-outs thanks to earlier results. They advance as runners-up and in the next round, will face Australia next Friday.
Iran could still go through as one of the best eight third-placed teams, but must wait for other results.
New Zealand are out as they still wait for their first-ever World Cup win. They have now gone winless in nine World Cup matches – no nation has more.
Belgium had collected draws against Egypt and Iran in the first two matches, but closed the group stage with a strong performance.
Leandro Trossard gave the Red Devils a deserved lead in the 28th minute and added another to his name in the 50th.
Kevin de Bruyne fired a stunner from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 in the 66th before Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand in the 84th.
But any hopes of a late comeback ended when substitute Romelu Lukaku came on in the 85th and needed just one minute to find the net, and Alexis Saelemaekers sealed the score in stoppage-time.
“We played very well, we’re happy. Now we head to the round of 32 and we’re ready for it,” Trossard said.
Iran hopeful after dramatic match
Mahmour Saber broke the deadlock for Egypt in the fifth minute, but their lead was threatened when Iran were awarded a penalty. Mehdi Taremi, however, was denied by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir from the spot.
Iran eventually equalized with Ramin Rezaeian scoring from a very tight angle just three minutes later.
The Iranians thought they had claimed the win and made it to the knock-outs when Shoja Khalilzadeh found the goal in the third minute of stoppage-time. But his effort was ruled out for offside after video review.
The game had some dramatic final minutes as Saeid Ezatolahi got close to a winner for Iran but hit the crossbar.
Pride Match
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been overshadowed by political issues due to the conflict with co-hosts United States and Israel.
The Iranian team moved their training camp from Arizona to Mexico and is subject to stricter restrictions when entering and leaving the US for their matches.
The match against Egypt had an extra debate on the sidelines as local organizers decided to designate it as a Pride Match during Seattle’s Pride Fest even before the draw for the group stage.
The Pride Fest focuses on diversity, equality, and the LGBTQI+ community. The schedule includes a parade in the city centre and numerous concerts, among other things.
Iran and Egypt don’t share the values of Pride Fest and before the tournament, they protested to FIFA against the city’s plan to celebrate the game as a Pride Match – to no avail.
There wasn’t much evidence of the Pride Match inside the stadium or around the arena. Some fans carried rainbow flags and wore colourful face paint.
FIFA made it clear from the start that it wouldn’t participate in the Pride Match with its own initiatives.
