'We aren't out of this': All Whites cling to World Cup dream

“We aren’t out of this. We go again!”

That was the message from All Whites captain Chris Wood after New Zealand's 3-1 loss to Egypt, a reflection of the belief still running through the camp as they head into one final opportunity to keep their FIFA World Cup hopes alive.

Wood took to Instagram after the defeat, posting: “Thank you for your support! Was top both in the stadium and all around the world. We aren’t out of this. We go again!”

The loss to Egypt, alongside the draw against Iran, has left the All Whites rooted to the bottom of Group G and in must-win territory heading into Saturday's clash with Belgium in Vancouver.

There is no room for error in order for New Zealand to dock a win against the top-ranked side in the group, and coach Darren Bazeley is clear about what it will take from his players to make history.

"For us to win at a World Cup, we need to be consistent in every moment throughout the whole game," Bazeley told RNZ.

"We can't have two minutes, one minute, 30 seconds where we're not at our best because you get punished by good players… That's the reality for us. It's a harsh reality, because we have performed pretty well [against Egypt] and lost a game 3-1."

Similar to their opening match, the All Whites were first to strike.

Central defender Finn Surman had been a defensive wall throughout the tournament but it was his header in the 15th minute of the match that gave New Zealand an early lead and a bit of hope.

All Whites captain Chris Wood. Photo/Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

New Zealand's lead was gone in the 58th minute and one of Egypt's most talked about players, captain and talisman Mohamed Salah, gave his side their own lead 10 minutes later.

"Salah scored a goal that I've been watching him score for 10 years, coming in and left foot.

"Goals change matches and when we're in the game, we're doing well and then they score and get the second goal and these are moments that we need to control better."

Getting on the same page as the officials will also help the All Whites going forward.

Bazeley questioned the officials after a second-half challenge on substitute Ben Old was not called as a foul.

"I thought it was a foul, we thought it was in the moment, I've seen it on the video, it's a foul, it should have been stopped.

"It leads to a goal and these are moments in games that hurt you. We could still defend it better, I'm not blaming all on that but it's a World Cup and we need things to go our way and we didn't get some things go our way."

The All Whites will play at the same stadium, BC in Vancouver, where they will play Belgium. Kick-off Saturday 27 June, 3pm (NZT).

For more information on the 2026 FIFA World Cup click here.