Group G is another group at 2026 World Cup that will go right down to the wire with all four countries still in contention to qualify for the knockout stages.
Egypt are in pole position on four points after claiming their first ever World Cup win at the eighth attempt, two points ahead of Iran and Belgium, while New Zealand are bottom with one point to their name.
So, it all comes down to Egypt vs Iran in Seattle and New Zealand vs Belgium in Vancouver, with both games taking place at 4am on Saturday morning (UK time).
Here are the key World Cup 2026 stats ahead of the two games.
Key stats in Group G
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New Zealand vs Belgium
- New Zealand key stat: The All Whites will match Honduras’ record of failing to win their opening nine World Cup games should they not claim the win against Belgium.
- Belgium key stat: The Red Devils are looking to stretch their unbeaten run to 16 matches.
Belgium exited the group stages four years ago and, on current evidence, have underwhelmed on the global stage once again, failing to beat Egypt or Iran in Group G so far.
Afterall, the Red Devils have come unstuck in these sort of games over the last year, twice drawing with North Macedonia in qualifying, while they also shared the points with Kazakhstan.
Most glaringly, this tournament has shone a light on their lack of cutting edge in front of goal. They’ve not yet scored themselves, with their only goal an own-goal, and had a whopping 23 shots without scoring against Iran.
Kevin De Bruyne alone has had nine shots this tournament without adding to his 37 goals for his country, while their all-time leading goalscorer Romelu Lukaku is still searching for the goal that would see him become Belgium’s all-time leading World Cup scorer (currently tied on five goals with Marc Wilmots).
On a more positive note, the Red Devils can at least look to a 15 match (nine wins & six draws) unbeaten record stretching back to March 2025. They will hope that their recent struggles in front of goal will change against New Zealand, who have conceded five goals so far this tournament.
New Zealand have shown plenty of spirit in this tournament, but results have continued to elude them. The All Whites twice led against Iran before being held to a 2-2 draw, and they were also in front against Egypt before eventually slipping to a 3-1 defeat.
New Zealand have won just one of their last 13 matches in all competitions and are still searching for their first World Cup victory, having failed to win any of their opening eight games at the tournament. Should this streak continue against Belgium, they will equal Honduras’ unwanted record of going winless across their first nine World Cup matches.
Egypt vs Iran
- Egypt key stat: Mo Salah (68 goals) is just one goal behind Egypt’s all-time goalscorer, Hossam Hassan, who just so happens to be his manager of the national team!
- Iran key stat: Team Melli are looking to progress into the knockout stages for the first time at the seventh attempt.
Egypt head into their final Group G with a great opportunity to qualify for the knockout stages as group winners, which would set up a more favourable Round of 32 tie against one of the best third-placed sides.
Mo Salah, shock, played a key role in his country’s first ever World Cup win, scoring in the 3-1 victory over New Zealand to become Egypt’s outright leading scorer in World Cup history (three goals), while also extending his record of registering either a goal or an assist in all four of his World Cup appearances.
That goal also moved Salah onto 68 international goals, leaving him just one behind Egypt’s all-time leading scorer, Hossam Hassan (69), who just so happens to be his national team manager.
Iran are looking to venture into the knockout stages for the first time at the seventh attempt. They have drawn both of their matches so far, meaning a win against Egypt will send them through. The problem is, wins have been hard to come by for Team Melli, with just three in their 20 World Cup games.
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