New Zealand face decisive Belgium clash in World Cup

New Zealand's All Whites face a decisive Group G clash against Belgium, needing a win to keep their FIFA World Cup 2026 hopes alive. Captain Chris Wood and defender Finn Surman have expressed confidence that the team can create history by securing their first-ever World Cup victory.

Surman's goal a highlight despite defeat

In their second group match, New Zealand took an early lead against Egypt through Surman's header from a Tim Payne corner in the 15th minute. It was Surman's third international goal, but the moment was so overwhelming that his planned celebration—a knee slide—was forgotten in the excitement. “Firstly, scoring that goal felt amazing, it was one of the highlights of my life. I was kind of thinking when the ball was coming in that it was coming to me and just wanted to focus on making sure I didn’t hit it up. When I realised I’d hit it down I was just thinking, 'Oh my god, I’ve done it, I’ve headed it down',” Surman told FIFA. “Then I had a lot of people screaming in my face but I wanted to run to Tim [Payne] because he put in an amazing ball so I gave him a big hug and celebrated with the team and looked up to see my parents in the crowd. It meant though that the celebration didn’t happen. I had one planned out but it all went too fast... I wanted to do a knee slide, I love a good knee slide!”

Despite the early lead, Egypt scored three late goals to win 3-1, leaving New Zealand at the bottom of the group. The All Whites had drawn their opening match against IR Iran 1-1, earning their first World Cup point. Now, they face a must-win scenario against Belgium, who also need a victory to avoid elimination.

Wood: '100 per cent belief' in the squad

Captain Chris Wood emphasized the team's determination. “There is 100 per cent belief. We just have to put things together for 90 minutes and believe in ourselves. We want to play positively and there is a real belief in the squad. We want to play good football and to try and win games in a positive manner and we have the players and team capable of doing that. If we play the way we did in the first half against Egypt and believe in ourselves then we just need to show that on the pitch,” Wood said.

New Zealand, an Oceania powerhouse, is making only its third World Cup appearance. A win against Belgium would not only secure progression to the knockout stage but also mark the nation's first-ever World Cup victory. Surman highlighted the team's mindset: “We need to embrace the challenge, we’ve watched video on them and know their strengths and where they can hurt you, so it’s about winning our challenges and just standing up to that challenge. It’s an awesome opportunity for any player to play against world-class players and it’s something I embrace, and we all embrace and now we just have to get stuck into it. We still believe 100 per cent that we can get the job done and there’s definitely things we should take confidence from over the first two games. If we don’t think we can win then we shouldn’t be here, so we are coming with the mentality that 100 per cent we can win this game and create history for our country.”

The match against Belgium is scheduled as a sudden-death encounter, with both teams needing a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.