New Zealand v Belgium: World Cup 2026 – live

Belgium will have to improve if they are to win today’s match against a plucky New Zealand and secure their spot in the round of 32.

>They currently sit 10th out of the 12 third-placed teams, with only the top 8 progressing to the knock-outs.

>As Ben Fisher wrote in his match report after their 0-0 draw against Iran:

>double quotation markTheir record at major tournaments now reads two wins from their past nine matches, one from their past six, against Romania at Euro 2024. They have had a total of 38 shots in their opening two games in the US without scoring themselves, their sole goal coming courtesy of the Egypt defender Mohamed Hany. They missed the energy of Jérémy Doku, who was absent through illness, while Romelu Lukaku, making his first start for club or country for more than 12 months, huffed and puffed in attack.

>Head coach Rudi Garcia certainly sees today’s match as a must-win for his underperforming side, though I’m not sure the cycling metaphor is instilling the kind of confidence he thinks it is:

>double quotation markSometimes when you have to win, sometimes that’s the best situation. Obviously we had wished to start better. But, just like cyclists, we have to keep pedalling on and on and show we deserve to move on to the round of 32.