Belgium survived one of the most nerve-wracking group stage finales in recent World Cup memory, topping Group G with 5 points and a goal difference of +4. Egypt, finishing on the exact same point total, was separated only by a goal difference of +2.
The final round of matches on June 26 saw the Group G standings shift multiple times in real time, with Belgium, Egypt, and Iran all holding realistic paths to advancement as goals landed across simultaneous fixtures.
How Group G shook out
Here’s the final table: Belgium first with 5 points and +4 goal difference, Egypt second with 5 points and +2, Iran third with 3 points and a neutral goal difference of 0, and New Zealand anchored at the bottom with 1 point and a brutal -6.
The drama was amplified by FIFA’s revised tiebreaker rules for the 2026 tournament. The governing body shifted its primary group-stage tiebreaker to prioritize head-to-head results over overall goal difference. In English: if two teams are level on points, FIFA now looks at what happened when those two teams played each other before it considers how many goals each team scored or conceded across all three group matches.
