Belgium routs New Zealand 5-1 to win Group G

Belgium turned its Group G finale into a statement, beating New Zealand 5-1 at BC Place in Vancouver on Friday, June 26, to finish first in the group and move into the round of 32. New Zealand exited the tournament, undone by a match in which Belgium controlled the tempo from the opening minutes and never let the result feel in doubt.

Leandro Trossard set the tone in the 28th minute, finishing after a corner from the left, then doubled Belgium’s lead in the 50th. Kevin De Bruyne added a low strike in the 66th minute, and Belgium’s depth did the rest. Elijah Just pulled one back for New Zealand in the 84th, but Romelu Lukaku, introduced off the bench, restored the three-goal cushion with a header in the 86th. Alexis Saelemaekers completed the rout in stoppage time, scoring in the 90th minute plus four.

The result was enough to make Belgium the clear winner of Group G and raised the harder question that comes after a one-sided group stage: was this the performance that confirms Belgium as a genuine contender, not merely a team cruising through early matches? The answer was delivered less by style than by authority. Belgium spread the scoring across Trossard, De Bruyne, Lukaku and Saelemaekers, and the final scoreline reflected a team that could accelerate when New Zealand faded.

Trossard was named Player of the Match after scoring both of Belgium’s first-half goals and setting the match on its course. De Bruyne’s goal carried a separate milestone. At 34 years and 363 days, he became the oldest player to score for Belgium at a FIFA World Cup, a marker that underscored how the veteran core is still driving the team’s biggest nights.

Thibaut Courtois also made history by reaching 18 World Cup appearances for Belgium, passing Enzo Scifo for the national record. That milestone, paired with the scoring burst from Belgium’s attacking line, gave the team a night that was as much about legitimacy as qualification.

FIFA said Belgium will face the third-place team from Groups A, E, H, I or J in the next round. However that draw settles, Belgium leaves Vancouver with a five-goal win, a group title and a sharper sense of its ceiling, while New Zealand’s collapse only widened the divide between the tournament’s best-prepared sides and those left trying to survive them.