VANCOUVER, British Columbia — New Zealand players left BC Place with a prevailing sense of regret after exiting the World Cup, and the remorse was rooted in missed opportunities earlier in the tournament rather than the heavy defeat to Belgium.
The All Whites led Iran for a combined 34 minutes in Los Angeles before Team Melli twice recovered to draw, and they held a 43-minute advantage over Egypt in Vancouver before Mohamed Salah and his teammates overturned the match to win 3-1. The 5-1 loss to Belgium followed a first-half opener from Leandro Trossard that was poorly defended.
Instead of lamenting the scoreline against the Red Devils, players dwelt on spells of control against Iran and Egypt when they could have extended leads and secured what would have been the nation’s first men’s World Cup victory. Ben Old said the squad had started the opening two matches well but fell into an underdog mindset, defending narrow advantages rather than pressing for a decisive third or fourth goal.
New Zealand’s decision to chase the game after trailing at halftime against Belgium left them exposed in the second half, when they conceded four additional goals and allowed Belgium to top Group G on goal difference. Coach Darren Bazeley argued the campaign was already decided by missed moments in the earlier fixtures, noting the team had been in the lead against Iran twice and against Egypt — the moments when points were available.
With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, New Zealand will return to qualifying for the next tournament in four years. The report noted that, since Australia moved to the Asian confederation, New Zealand has remained the dominant side in Oceania and that the region’s other nations are not yet developed enough to realistically challenge for the automatic slot.
There is continuity in the squad heading into the next cycle: players such as Old, Tyler Bindon, Finn Surman, Marko Stamenic, Liberato Cacace, Alex Paulsen, Ben Waine and Jess Randall will still be under 30, while Elijah Just set a new national mark by scoring three goals at the 2026 tournament.
