Max Crocombe to face Belgium in World Cup 2026 round‑16

Max Crocombe, the 32‑year‑old Millwall goalkeeper, will stand between Belgium and the round‑of‑16 of the 2026 World Cup on Friday in Vancouver, after playing roughly half of his club’s Championship matches last season. His selection pits the relatively unknown New Zealand keeper against the Red Devils in a high‑stakes knockout. Several lesser‑known keepers have already featured in the group stage, including Curaçao’s Eloy Room, Cape Verde’s Vozinha, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al‑Owais, Qatar’s Mahmud Abunada and Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand, all vying for a spot in the tournament’s best‑eleven. Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper, said after his match against Iran: “It’s always special at the World Cup. We often see goalkeepers from smaller nations, who endure a lot, produce performances of this kind,” adding that it is “nice to see keepers shine, even if it’s less pleasant when they face us.” In 2014, Tim Howard recorded sixteen saves against Belgium in the round of 16, a record later matched by Eloy Room, who also made sixteen saves in Curaçao’s game against Ecuador.

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Vozinha, the 40‑year‑old Cape Verde keeper, wept after his heroic display versus Spain and later conceded two goals against Uruguay, a match in which Fernando Muslera’s error was highlighted. Mohammed Al‑Owais impressed in the opening match against Uruguay and had previously shone against Argentina in 2022, while his club affiliation is Al‑Qadsiah. Mahmud Abunada earned the man‑of‑the‑match award after making five saves for Qatar against Switzerland.

Jeremy Doku's fitness doubts ahead of Belgium vs New Zealand

Critics of Max Crocombe’s performance against Egypt argue he lacked decisiveness, and New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley has been linked to a possible switch to Alex Paulsen, the Lechia Gdansk goalkeeper who featured in the recent 4‑1 friendly loss to Chile. Lukaku reminded the Belgian squad that they must “manage their emotions” as they prepare to meet a potentially in‑form New Zealand goalkeeper on Friday.