The 2026 World Cup group stage is rapidly drawing to a close, and the final standings for Group G are officially in the books. Belgium have advanced as the group winner, punching their ticket to the Round of 32 alongside Egypt, which secured a second-place finish.
Belgium finally found their attacking spark when it mattered most, putting together a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand to seal top spot in the group. The Red Devils finish Group G with five points, recovering from a pair of underwhelming draws against Egypt and Iran to close out the group stage in style.
On the flip side, Egypt settled for a 1-1 draw against Iran, a result that was still enough to lock down second place and an automatic spot in the knockout stage. The Pharaohs finished on five points as well, but a slightly inferior goal differential left them just behind Belgium in the final reckoning.
Iran finished the group in third place, keeping their tournament alive as they await the final wild-card standings to see if they advance as one of the tournament’s best third-place teams, while New Zealand exited the tournament at the bottom of Group G without a single point to their name across three matches.
Round of 32 venues and potential matchups
By virtue of winning Group G, Belgium will play their Round of 32 match on July 1 at the Seattle Stadium. The Red Devils will square off against one of the wild-card third-place finishers emerging from Groups A, E, H, I, or J.
see also
Safe before kickoff: How Ronaldo’s Portugal and Kane’s England already qualified for the Round of 32
Depending on how the wild-card picture settles, Belgium’s path could open up against the likes of South Korea or Scotland, among other third-place contenders still waiting to learn their fate.
As for the North African nation, Egypt will take the pitch for their knockout opener on July 3 at Dallas Stadium, and their opponent will be Australia, as they finished at second place in Group D.
Group G final standings
Group G standings.
