Groups G & H Wrap: Belgium Hammer New Zealand, Cape Verde Reach Knockouts Without a Win

Groups G and H are settled. On a June 26 evening that completed the picture across two more pools, Belgium thumped New Zealand 5-1 to top Group G and Egypt drew 1-1 with Iran to seal a first-ever World Cup knockout place. In Group H, Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 to finish top, but the headline belonged to Cape Verde, who reached the round of 32 on their tournament debut without winning a single match. Here are the confirmed finals.

Group G: Belgium 5-1 New Zealand, Egypt 1-1 Iran

After two draws that had left one of the pre-tournament favourites sweating, Belgium finally clicked. Leandro Trossard struck twice — opening on 28’ and restoring control on 50’ — before Kevin De Bruyne (66’), Romelu Lukaku (86’) and Alexis Saelemaekers (90+4’) turned the night into a rout. New Zealand’s only reply came through Elijah Just (84’). Belgium even finished with ten men after Nathan Ngoy was sent off on 66’, yet still ran out 5-1 winners to claim top spot.

In the simultaneous kickoff in Seattle, Egypt and Iran drew 1-1. Mahmoud Saber put Egypt ahead inside five minutes (5’), only for Ramin Rezaeian to level for Iran (14’). The point was enough: Egypt qualify for the knockout stage for the first time in their World Cup history, a landmark for a side whose previous appearances had always ended in the group phase. Iran finish third on three points and must wait to learn whether they sneak through among the best third-placed teams. New Zealand, beaten 5-1, are eliminated.

Belgium top the group on five points and a +4 goal difference; Egypt take second on five points (+2). Both are through. Iran (3 points, level goal difference) sit third and remain in the third-place conversation, while New Zealand exit on a single point.

Group H: Spain 1-0 Uruguay, Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia

Spain had already qualified, but they were not in a giving mood. Álex Baena’s strike just before half-time (42’) settled a tight contest in Guadalajara and sent Spain top of Group H with a perfect defensive record — three matches, zero goals conceded. Uruguay, needing a result, finished with ten men after Agustín Canobbio was shown a straight red in stoppage time (90+4’).

That defeat proved fatal. In the parallel game in Houston, Cape Verde held Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw — and that single point was enough to carry the World Cup debutants into the round of 32. The islanders, one of the smallest nations ever to reach the finals, drew all three of their group games and advanced as runners-up. They become the first nation since Chile in 1998 to progress from a World Cup group without winning a match. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, both on two points, are out.

Spain finish first on seven points, Cape Verde second on three. Uruguay edge out Saudi Arabia on goal difference for third, but neither survives — a chastening group-stage exit for a Uruguay side that came in among the dark horses.

What it means

Belgium and Spain both reach the knockouts as group winners and look the part — Spain in particular, yet to concede a goal all tournament. But the day belonged to the outsiders: Egypt end nearly a century of World Cup frustration with a first knockout berth, and Cape Verde complete one of the great underdog runs of the modern era. For the full picture of who needed what coming in, revisit our June 26 qualification scenarios and the day’s preview, or read the Group I wrap.

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Scorelines, scorers and standings above are confirmed final results, cross-checked against official FIFA match data and major outlets (FIFA.com, ESPN, Wikipedia). This article contains no estimated or projected scores.