Before kick-off: define the sample first
| Outcome | matches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand wins | 0 | — |
| Draws | 0 | — |
| Belgium wins | 0 | — |
FactUsing the explicit scope of completed 2026 World Cup matches before kick-off, the teams had met 0 times: 0 New Zealand wins, 0 draws and 0 Belgium wins. This is not presented as an all-time record.
FactThe comparison direction on this page is fixed: New Zealand is the recorded home side, Belgium the away side, and 1–5 is stored in that order. A later meeting would remain a separate event record.
Personnel: how the starting XI changed
FactNew Zealand changed 2 starters from its previous match; Belgium changed 5 starters. Continuity is calculated from confirmed starters only.
FactNew Zealand's new starters include Tyler Bindon, Ryan Thomas; Belgium's new starters include Timothy Castagne, Arthur Theate, Hans Vanaken, Jérémy Doku, Charles De Ketelaere. The names connect the continuity count to specific personnel.
The result: 1–5 and the decisive sequence
FactThe final score was New Zealand 1–5 Belgium. The verified scoring sequence was 28′ Leandro Trossard、50′ Leandro Trossard、66′ Kevin De Bruyne、84′ Elijah Just、86′ Romelu Lukaku、90′ Alexis Saelemaekers. Score, sequence and line-up changes are facts; the mechanism inferred from them is labelled as analysis.
FactThe verification index for New Zealand versus Belgium fixes four fields: the 1–5 final score, the 2026 FIFA World Cup · Group G stage, the BC Place location and 6 scoring events. Together they identify this match without borrowing context from another fixture.
FactNode 1: Leandro Trossard scored for Belgium in minute 28, setting the ledger at 0–1; Node 2: Leandro Trossard scored for Belgium in minute 50, setting the ledger at 0–2; Node 3: Kevin De Bruyne scored for Belgium in minute 66, setting the ledger at 0–3; Node 4: Elijah Just scored for New Zealand in minute 84, setting the ledger at 1–3; Node 5: Romelu Lukaku scored for Belgium in minute 86, setting the ledger at 1–4; Node 6: Alexis Saelemaekers scored for Belgium in minute 90, setting the ledger at 1–5
FactNew Zealand's location key for this match is BC Place, shared by Belgium; New Zealand's 1 goals and Belgium's 5 goals belong only to this venue and kick-off record.
Why this result made sense
AnalysisNew Zealand versus Belgium, 1–5: Belgium converted the lead against New Zealand into the 1-5 result. Aggregated player data shows a shot gap of 29 and a pass-completion gap of 3.4 percentage points; game-state management mattered more than any single possession number.