New Zealand versus Belgium
- Kick-off:
- Stadium: BC Place · Vancouver, Canada
New Zealand
New Zealand reach their third tournament and first since 2010, when the All Whites famously drew all three group games and exited unbeaten — still the only team in tournament history to do so. Darren Bazeley, the English coach who took over in 2023, leads a squad balanced between European-based veterans and emerging A-League talent. Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) provides the focal point in attack; Marko Stamenić (Olympiacos) and Liberato Cacace (Empoli) offer Premier League and Serie A pedigree. The squad lacks elite depth, but Oceania has its expanded place and the All Whites grasped it. Group G with Belgium, Egypt and Iran is the toughest possible draw — every match is essentially a free hit, with even a single point a meaningful achievement.
Belgium
Belgium arrive at their 14th tournament with the so-called golden generation now thinned but the squad still full of top-level talent. Domenico Tedesco, the German-Italian coach who took charge in 2023, has rebuilt around Kevin De Bruyne — likely his last major tournament — flanked by Jérémy Doku (Manchester City), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) and Romelu Lukaku, the all-time top scorer. The Euro 2024 round-of-16 exit to France was disappointing, and the defensive transition since Vincent Kompany's retirement remains unfinished. Group G with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand is favourable; first place is the floor. The window for a deep run with this core is closing — quarter-final or better is the brief.
BC Place
BC Place hosts seven matches in 2026, including round-of-32 and round-of-16 fixtures alongside Canada's remaining Group A schedule. Located in downtown Vancouver, the venue opened in 1983 and was extensively renovated in 2011, when its retractable cable-supported roof was installed. Capacity for football is approximately 54,500. The pitch was reconverted from artificial turf to natural grass for the tournament. Home to the BC Lions Canadian football team and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS), it has decades of major-event experience. Climate: Vancouver summers are the mildest among host cities — 18-23°C with low humidity and consistent fine weather along the Pacific coast. The retractable roof handles the rare rain. Vancouver's extensive Asian Pacific population (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Indian communities) gives BC Place strategic appeal for AFC contingents and Pacific-rim travel.