World Cup 2026: Belgium lead New Zealand at half-time (1-0)
New Zealand – Belgium has reached half-time at the 2026 World Cup, with Belgium leading New Zealand 1-0.

The numbers, however, paint a more nuanced first half. New Zealand had the ball with 13% possession and tried their luck more often, with 0 shots compared with 5 for Belgium. In the decisive area, the shots-on-target tally is 0 for New Zealand and 2 for Belgium. The xG figures remain close, with 0.00 for New Zealand and 0.48 for Belgium.
First-half events
- Goal – L. Trossard (Belgium, 28th)
Belgium have taken an advantage
With this one-goal lead, Belgium head into the dressing room with a tangible advantage and a clear platform to build on. The second half could allow them to protect this scoreline, provided they do not sit too deep.
New Zealand must raise the tempo
For New Zealand, the return from the dressing room calls for greater precision in the opposition box. The team had the ball in spells, but they must turn those strong periods into clearer chances to avoid chasing the game until the end.
- 28'But - L. Trossard
- 46'Remplacement - S. Singh (remplace J. Randall)
- 46'Remplacement - R. Thomas (remplace B. Old)
- 46'Carton jaune - M. Stamenic
- 50'But - L. Trossard (passe H. Vanaken)
- 56'Carton jaune - E. Just
- 56'Remplacement - J. Doku (remplace M. Fernandez-Pardo)
- 64'Remplacement - T. Payne (remplace M. Boxall)
- 64'Remplacement - J. Bell (remplace C. McCowatt)
- 66'But - K. De Bruyne
- 72'Remplacement - L. Trossard (remplace A. Saelemaekers)
- 72'Remplacement - K. De Bruyne (remplace A. Onana)
- 79'Remplacement - L. Cacace (remplace F. De Vries)
- 84'But - E. Just
- 85'Remplacement - C. De Ketelaere (remplace R. Lukaku)
- 85'Remplacement - Y. Tielemans (remplace N. Raskin)
- 86'But - R. Lukaku (passe N. Raskin)
- 90+4'But - A. Saelemaekers (passe R. Lukaku)
- Tirs cadres : New Zealand 1 / Belgium 7
- Tirs : New Zealand 3 / Belgium 26
- Possession : New Zealand 42% / Belgium 58%
- Corners : New Zealand 3 / Belgium 7
- Fautes : New Zealand 6 / Belgium 5
- Cartons jaunes : New Zealand 2 / Belgium 0
- Passes : New Zealand 289 / Belgium 406
- Precision des passes : New Zealand 82% / Belgium 87%
- xG : New Zealand 0.09 / Belgium 2.71
| Team | J | G | N | P | BP | BC | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Egypt | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Iran | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 1 |






Comments
Comments load when you reach this section.