BEST·THIRD·PLACE TRACKER An independent tracker for the 2026 World Cup.
FINAL UPDATE:
2026 WORLD CUP · GROUP STAGE
NewZealand
The All Whites
ELIMINATED
IN OUR BEST THIRDS RANKING
#40OUR RANK
1PTS
-6GD
4GF
New Zealand is out of the 2026 World Cup, eliminated after the group stage.

New Zealand opened with a spirited 2-2 draw against Iran, a team ranked 65 places higher in the world. Group G grew tougher from there, a 1-3 loss to Egypt and a 1-5 defeat to Belgium leaving the All Whites bottom with the rest clear on points. Yet they found the net in all three games against far stronger opposition, and the point earned against Iran on the opening day was a just reward for their fight.

THE GROUP-STAGE CUT · WHERE IT ALL STARTED

5 points short of the knockout places.

Gap to Egypt in 2nd: 5 points.

◄ QUALIFIEDELIMINATED ►
1st
2nd
3rd
4thNZ
2ND · INEgypt6 PTSGD +1
4TH · OUTNew Zealand1 PTSGD -6
That is how the group table finished.

PER MATCH · INCL. GROUP STAGE

0.33PTS / match
1.33GF / match
−1.33FAIR / match

Across 3 matches (group stage included), New Zealand has averaged 0.33 points and 1.33 goals scored per game, with 1.33 fair-play points lost per game.

PLAYED

Iran
Egypt
Belgium
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
New Zealand finished fourth in their group, behind the cut before the best-thirds table even came into play.

How hard was New Zealand’s road at this World Cup?

Every team’s road through the tournament, on one chart. Each line shows how hard each stage is. The base is the gap in FIFA world ranking between the two sides; on top of that, current form (each team’s last three matches, and how convincingly they were won against how strong an opponent) nudges the step: a hot opponent makes it taller, a team’s own hot form makes its own steps shorter. Higher means a tougher road. In the group stage the opponents are known, so each match sits at a fixed height; each knockout round shows the average difficulty across every opponent still left in that round. New Zealand’s road is highlighted, along with every team it played. Hover or tap any team to compare, or pick one from the legend.

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