Rudi Garcia vows Belgium to beat New Zealand and qualify

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia said the national team must defeat New Zealand to secure qualification after a 3-1 loss to Murcia and a second consecutive draw in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. He warned that a draw on Friday may not be enough to reach the required five points. Garcia had not previously needed to trigger crisis communication, except following the 3-1 defeat at Murcia when he had just taken charge of the side. He is regarded as capable of managing complicated situations. After the second consecutive draw for the Diables Rouges in the World Cup 2026, Garcia appeared relaxed but did not hide his disappointment at missing three points. He said, "With the same match, in qualifications we often won by three or four goals. We created enough chances, but efficiency was missing. That's the story of the evening," and added that the opponent's goalkeeper was the man of the match and that Maxim De Cuyper could have been the tournament's top scorer after the game.

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Romelu Lukaku remarked, "I don't think emotions were the problem," after the encounter. "We sometimes played too hastily, with too little depth and insufficient presence in the box and at the first post," he continued. Garcia stated that Belgium always has both feet firmly in the tournament, and that they would have liked to have already won one or two matches, but now the situation is clear. He warned that a draw may not be sufficient on Friday.

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He insisted that beating New Zealand would give Belgium five points and guarantee qualification regardless of other results. Garcia added that there is pressure but no panic, calling for awareness, a low profile and hard work.