All Whites set to beat the heat in further 2026 Fifa World Cup boost
Sunday, 7 December 2025
There was not a football to be seen, but mark it down as a pretty good weekend for the All Whites.
A day after being handed a decent enough draw for next year’s Fifa World Cup, against Belgium (world No 8), Iran (20) and Egypt (34), Darren Bazeley’s side were then given a further boost on Sunday (NZ time) with the revealing of their venues and kickoff times for the global showpiece.
After landing in Group G for the expanded 48-team tournament to be co-hosted by the United States (first time since 1994), Mexico (first time since 1970) and Canada (first time), the All Whites knew the dates of their matches, the order in which they would be played, and that they would be West Coast-based, in a group that will be split across Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver.
Confirmation has now come that their match against Iran will be the group opener, in LA, on June 16 (NZT), with their remaining two group games to both be in Vancouver, against Egypt on June 22 (NZT) and against Belgium on June 27 (NZT).
Read more:
Having avoided being pooled with a real powerhouse when the draw was undertaken at a glitzy drawn-out ceremony in Washington DC, more good news followed for Kiwi fans, as the All Whites chase a first-ever World Cup win, in their third appearance.
Firstly, playing across two venues instead of three is a win from a logistical and travel perspective, while New Zealand are one of only four nations in the tournament (Canada, Paraguay and Argentina the others) who play their second and third group games at the same venue, which should ensure settled preparation for their biggest showdown with Belgium.
Secondly, the potential heat worries at the event should prove a non-factor for the Kiwis. Los Angeles can feature high summer temperatures, but given the SoFi Stadium features a roof with climate control, they will be negated. Then in Vancouver, the BC Place venue has the same setup in any case, while temperatures there are typically cooler, and should make for comfortable conditions during the All Whites’ stay.
While the artificially-controlled climes won’t make it such an issue anyway, New Zealand have also been handed evening/night-time kickoff times, with their first two at 6pm local, then their third at 8pm.
That comes as pretty handy for fans back home, making for early/mid-afternoon starts, at 1pm, and 3pm, respectively, albeit with those first two coming on a Monday and Tuesday, which might require some creative scheduling around work and school commitments, before a super Saturday looms for the Belgium blockbuster.
With not only the top two teams from each of the 12 groups advancing to knockout play, but also the eight-best third-placed sides, the All Whites will believe they could break new ground, following their unbeaten three-draw effort in South Africa in 2010.
While Bazeley admitted to a little slice of disappointment about missing out on squaring off with mega-stars Lionel Messi (Argentina) or Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), or another marquee matchup against the likes of an England, Brazil, Spain or France, he knows it has allowed his team a more realistic opportunity to make some history.
Egypt, themselves, feature their own high-profile man in Mohamed Salah, though the country’s top goal-scorer currently finds himself on the outer at Liverpool, amid speculation he will be about to depart the team he has helped deliver two English Premier League titles.
Belgium, meanwhile, who placed a best-ever third at th 2018 World Cup in Russia before being ousted in the group stage four years ago in Qatar, will boast names such as striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne ‒ both centurions and leading goal-scorers for their nation, who are now both at Italian club Napoli ‒ along with Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku.
But, with Bazeley admitting the analysis had started on every possible team some time back and had already now ramped up on the three they will face, the coach has his own secret weapon to call on for that massive match.
That comes in the form of Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who was previously in charge of Belgium from 2016-2022, and who was a team-mate of Bazeley’s in the early 2000s at English club Walsall, which saw the pair enjoy a good catch-up at the draw event over the weekend.
“Yeah, I’ll be hitting him up with some inside info, for sure.”
All Whites’ 2026 Fifa World Cup draw (NZT)
Tue, Jun 16, 1pm: v Iran; SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Los Angeles
Mon, Jun 22, 1pm: v Egypt; BC Place, Vancouver
Sat, Jun 27, 3pm: v Belgium; BC Place, Vancouver