4 of the 12 teams paced 3rd are already on 3 points. That is with two pools still to play their 2nd game.
For the AWs to finish 3rd in their pool with only 2 points (2 draws) they need Egypt to beat Iran (already on 2 points) by at least 3 goals??
Basically the AWs have to beat the Belgians, two draws won't be enough to progress.
History was what the All Whites were after at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But with two of their three group G matches done and dusted, they are still chasing their first win and still chasing a place in the knockout stage.
For the AWs to finish 3rd in their pool with only 2 points (2 draws) they need Egypt to beat Iran (already on 2 points) by at least 3 goals??
Basically the AWs have to beat the Belgians, two draws won't be enough to progress.
History was what the All Whites were after at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But with two of their three group G matches done and dusted, they are still chasing their first win and still chasing a place in the knockout stage.
Having come up empty against Iran and Egypt, they now need to beat world No 10 Belgium to achieve those goals and keep their campaign going past the group stage.
That match is set for 8pm Friday (3pm Saturday New Zealand time) at BC Place in Vancouver – the venue where they lost 3-1 to Egypt in their second match on Sunday evening.
Egypt face Iran at Lumen Field in Seattle at the same time on Friday and the result in the other group G match will factor into the permutations.
If the All Whites win and Egypt win or draw, they will advance in second place and play their first World Cup knockout match in Dallas on July 3 (July 4 NZ time), against either Australia or Paraguay, the runners-up from group D.
If they win and Iran win, the All Whites will finish third in group G with four points and a goal difference no worse than -1.
Their progression will then depend on whether they are one of the eight best third-placed teams, with the records of eight of the other 11 contenders set to be known by the time their match kicks off.
If they do make it, they will play their round of 32 match either on June 30 in New Jersey, against the winner of group I, likely France or Norway, or July 2 in Vancouver, against the winner of group D, either Canada or Switzerland.