Belgium stormed into the World Cup’s round of 32 as Group G winners with a 5-1 demolition of New Zealand in Vancouver, banishing the uncertainty of two opening draws. Leandro Trossard struck twice, Kevin De Bruyne added a third, and late goals from Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers sealed a victory that, combined with Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Iran in Seattle, lifted the Red Devils above the Pharaohs on goal difference. The result ended New Zealand’s campaign without a win and left Iran clinging to hope as one of the tournament’s best third-placed sides.

From the first whistle at BC Place, Belgium imposed a suffocating rhythm. Trossard rattled the post early and saw a penalty overturned by VAR before pouncing on a loose ball from a De Bruyne corner in the 28th minute. The Arsenal forward doubled the lead five minutes after the restart, volleying home a rebound after his initial effort was blocked. De Bruyne, orchestrating play with characteristic precision, curled a low finish from the edge of the area in the 66th minute to make it 3-0. New Zealand briefly threatened to complicate the group arithmetic when Elijah Just volleyed a consolation in the 84th minute, but substitute Lukaku headed in with his first touch two minutes later, and Saelemaekers completed the rout deep into stoppage time. European analysts noted that Belgium’s attacking fluency, absent in earlier stalemates against Egypt and Iran, finally surfaced against the overmatched All Whites.

Simultaneously in Seattle, Egypt secured their first-ever progression beyond the group stage with a nervy draw. Mahmoud Saber fired the Pharaohs ahead after five minutes, capitalising on a parried ball from Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. Iran responded swiftly: Mehdi Taremi saw a penalty saved by Mostafa Shobeir, but Ramin Rezaeian equalised from a tight angle in the 14th minute. The match then settled into a tense stalemate, with Egypt losing Mohamed Salah to a thigh problem in the second half. In stoppage time, Shoja Khalilzadeh had a goal disallowed for offside after a VAR review, and Iran struck the crossbar moments later, leaving the Persian bench in despair. Viewed from Cairo, the draw was celebrated as a breakthrough; in Tehran, the wait for a definitive knockout berth became an agonising countdown.

Belgium’s first-place finish sets up a round-of-32 meeting on 1 July in Seattle against a third-placed team from Group A, I or J. Egypt will face Australia on 3 July in Dallas, with the winner likely to meet Argentina or Cape Verde in the last 16. Iran, with three points and a neutral goal difference, must now monitor the final group-stage results to learn whether they advance as one of the eight best third-placed finishers.