Kickoff
Sat, Jun 27, 3:00 AM UTC
Venue
BC Place
Stage
Group · Group G
New Zealand
15
Final
Belgium

New Zealand vs Belgium

A genuine World Cup group fixture with real advancement stakes, a compelling underdog-vs-pedigree narrative, and milestone weight for New Zealand's program. Belgium hold the moderate edge, but the occasion and competitive structure make this a match that earns its place on the schedule.

New Zealand arrive at BC Place for their Group G opener carrying the weight of a program that earns this stage rarely. Belgium, a moderate favorite by aggregate metrics, bring structural depth and continental pedigree that New Zealand will need to contain rather than match. The Watch Score's strongest signal is MOMENT — this is the All Whites on the World Cup stage, a fixture that happens seldom enough that the occasion carries its own gravity. The narrative dimension follows closely: underdog arithmetic defines this matchup from the first whistle, and New Zealand's tactical shape will be tested at every transition.

Watch how New Zealand set their defensive block and whether they can sustain compactness through the full ninety minutes against Belgium's ability to rotate possession and create overloads. Belgium's attacking structure — built on movement between lines — will stress any mid-block. The counter-attacking moments New Zealand manufacture will be the clearest window into whether an upset is building. Set pieces at both ends warrant attention; this is the tier of competition where margin calls are settled in dead-ball situations.

Watch Score
6.9
Worth Watching
Editorial Dimensions
Stakes
6.0
Quality
7.2
Narrative
6.8
Drama
6.9
Moment
7.5
Where to Watch
Broadcaster listings appear here once US lineups are confirmed for this fixture.

Recent Form

New Zealand
L
L
D
L
L
Belgium
D
W
W
W
L
New Zealand4-2-3-1
  1. 1Max CrocombeG
  2. 2Tim PayneD
  3. 16Finn SurmanD
  4. 4Tyler BindonD
  5. 13Liberato CacaceD
  6. 8Marko StamenićM
  7. 6Joe BellM
  8. 23Ryan ThomasM
  9. 10Sarpreet SinghM
  10. 11Elijah JustM
  11. 9Chris WoodF
  1. 22Michael WoudG
  2. 12Alex PaulsenG
  3. 15Nando PijnakerD
  4. 5Michael BoxallD
  5. 3Francis De VriesD
  6. 26Tommy SmithD
  7. 24Callan ElliotD
  8. 14Alex RuferM
  9. 20Callum McCowattM
  10. 21Jesse RandallF
  11. 25Lachlan BaylissM
  12. 19Benjamin OldF
  13. 7Logan RogersonF
  14. 17Kosta BarbarousesF
  15. 18Ben WaineF
Injuries
Injury report unavailable.
Match Winner (1X2)
Consensus median · 13 books · updated 29 days ago
New Zealand
Draw
Belgium
American
+1210
+675
-526
Decimal
13.100
7.750
1.190
Implied
7.3%
12.3%
80.4%
Key Moments & Events
Latest first · Auto-updates
Live Notes · Auto-Generated
FULL TIME · 1 — 5
90+4'
A. SAELEMAEKERS EXTENDS THE LEAD
Saelemaekers caps a dominant Belgium display in stoppage time, assisted by Lukaku who scored just four minutes earlier.
86'
R. LUKAKU EXTENDS THE LEAD
Lukaku comes off the bench only to set up Raskin — wait, Raskin assists Lukaku just 60 seconds after being subbed on himself.
85'
N. RASKIN ON FOR Y. TIELEMANS
85'
R. LUKAKU ON FOR C. DE KETELAERE
84'
E. JUST PULLS ONE BACK
79'
F. DE VRIES ON FOR L. CACACE
72'
A. ONANA ON FOR K. DE BRUYNE
72'
A. SAELEMAEKERS ON FOR L. TROSSARD
66'
K. DE BRUYNE EXTENDS THE LEAD
De Bruyne adds his name to the scoresheet as Belgium continue to dominate New Zealand in the second half.
64'
C. MCCOWATT ON FOR J. BELL
64'
M. BOXALL ON FOR T. PAYNE
56'
M. FERNANDEZ-PARDO ON FOR J. DOKU
56'
E. JUST BOOKED
50'
L. TROSSARD DOUBLES THE LEAD
Trossard doubles his personal tally early in the second half, finishing a brace for Belgium.
46'
M. STAMENIC BOOKED
46'
B. OLD ON FOR R. THOMAS
46'
J. RANDALL ON FOR S. SINGH
HALF-TIME
28'
L. TROSSARD OPENS THE SCORING
Trossard breaks the deadlock for Belgium just before the half-hour mark.
KICK-OFF
Live Watch Score
6.8/10
Final · peaked at 6.8

6 goals, 1 lead change · final

Full Match Stats
Possession
44%56%
Expected Goals
0.243.52
Total Shots
631
On Target
28
Blocked
112
Saves
41
Passes (accuracy)
385 · 83%500 · 88%
Corners
57
Offsides
11
Fouls · Yellow · Red
9 · 2 · 07 · 0 · 0
Where to Watch
Broadcaster listings appear here once US lineups are confirmed for this fixture.

Trossard brace headlines Belgium's five-goal dismantling of New Zealand in Vancouver.

Belgium controlled this Group G match from the opening half, with Trossard breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute and adding a second just five minutes into the second half, assisted by H. Vanaken, to put the contest beyond New Zealand. K. De Bruyne extended the lead to three in the 66th minute, and although E. Just pulled one back for New Zealand in the 84th, the response was immediate: R. Lukaku, introduced as a substitute moments earlier, scored in the 86th with N. Raskin assisting, before A. Saelemaekers completed the rout in the 90th+4 with Lukaku turning provider. Belgium finished with 31 shots to New Zealand's six, and an xG of 3.52 against 0.24.

The result gives Belgium a commanding start in Group G. New Zealand, who managed just two shots on target across the full 90 minutes, will need a significant improvement in their remaining group fixtures to remain in contention. Belgium's depth showed clearly in the second half, with Trossard, De Bruyne, and eventually Lukaku all removed or introduced to shape the scoreline further.