New Zealand v Egypt prediction, lineups & World Cup 2026 tips

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan called Monday's Group G fixture against New Zealand a "pivotal point" of the tournament at his pre-match press conference in Vancouver on Saturday, a sign of just how much weight both camps are placing on 90 minutes at BC Place.

All four sides in Group G picked up a point on Matchday 1, leaving the table perfectly level. New Zealand drew 2-2 with Iran in Los Angeles, while Egypt held Belgium to a 1-1 stalemate in Seattle. The maths is straightforward: a win here puts the victor in a strong position to reach the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup 2026 for the first time in their respective histories. A second draw leaves both sides needing a result on the final matchday with no guarantees.

New Zealand are back at a World Cup for the first time since 2010, ending a 16-year absence, and their opener against Iran was as encouraging a debut as any All Whites fan could have hoped for. Elijah Just, the Motherwell winger, scored twice, in the 6th and early in the second half, to give New Zealand the lead on both occasions, before Iran levelled each time. Darren Bazeley called it "our best performance ever." Just's brace took his international tally to 11 goals, and Bazeley has been open about his ambitions ahead of this one. "It's a game that we're not scared of," he told Stuff. "We want to make history. We're disappointed we didn't make history [against Iran] but it was good for us to get a point."

The concern for the All Whites is defensiveness: they have gone 12 games without a clean sheet, and their backline was twice exposed against Iran. Egypt's counter-attacking runners, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah operating through the centre, present a markedly different proposition to anything New Zealand has faced at this tournament.

Egypt arrived at this tournament as Africa's most in-form qualifying side: eight wins, two draws, zero defeats, 20 goals scored, and just two conceded across ten CAF matches. Hassan's team made an instant impression against Belgium, taking the lead through an Emam Ashour strike set up by Salah, before Romelu Lukaku's introduction forced an own goal from Mohamed Hany in the 66th minute. It was the first goal Egypt had conceded in the entire qualifying cycle.

This is Egypt's first World Cup since 1990, a 36-year wait, and with Salah, 34, captaining the side at what is widely regarded as his final tournament, the Pharaohs are not short of motivation. Hassan, Egypt's all-time leading scorer with 69 international goals, told reporters ahead of the New Zealand game: "We studied the opponent well. The New Zealand team is characterised by a style similar to European football in terms of physical strength and tactical discipline. Focus will be the decisive factor in the match."

Egypt's pre-tournament form backs up the confidence. They held Spain to a 0-0 draw in March, beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, and lost only narrowly to Brazil 2-1 in Ohio in June. New Zealand's friendlies told a tougher story, losses to Haiti, England and Finland, though those results were put into sharper context by what they produced against Iran. Bazeley's squad is clearly a side that rises to competitive football.

New Zealand v Egypt kicks off at 02:00 BST on Monday, 22 June 2026 at BC Place, Vancouver. The match is live and free-to-air on ITV1 in the UK, with streaming available via ITVX.